#and i infally finish it two years and 5 days after I started

[descendantofthesparrow]

"hold on Ben's calling me again, Hi Ben…yes shes okay Ben, yes she's here Ben. No you cannot come see her, its bad luck!" Audrey the Ben wrangler becuase he wants to see his almost wife before the wedding really really badly(rewrite royal wedding/rewrite bal)

og ver

[anabdaniels]

Flufftober 2023 with Agent Whiskey - Day 18- Sickfic

Paring: Agent Whiskey x Gender Neutral Reader

Word counting: 580

Rating: General audiences

You were comfortably sitting on the bed working on your new crochet project when Jack got out of the bathroom after a warm shower, still looking drained. It was only 3 p.m. and most of the time he would finish taking care of all the livestock around 5 or 6 p.m., but you didn’t question that, he used to come home earlier every chance he got to spend time with you. What worried you a bit when he lay on the bed next to you was his tired face and noticeable dark circles around his eyes. You pondered for a moment since Jack getting sick was an extremely rare event. Your immunity was pretty good, and you used to get sick around twice a year, especially in the seasons changing, but Jack seemed to be 100% immune to everything, at least until that afternoon.

“Are you alright?” you asked looking at him attentively.

“Yes, just a bit tired.” He answered with his voice sounding raspier than usual, alarming your suspicions.

“Hum.” You couldn’t prevent your reflex of touching his forehead, as one would do with a kid “Damn, Jack. You’re burning in fever.” You said already getting worried.

“No, it’s probably just because of the warm shower.” He answered while hugging your legs.

“Only if you were taking a shower in boiling water.” You said while moving your hand over his face and neck, feeling his skin hotter than it should be.

“I’m fine.” He mumbled sleepy, hiding his face against your thigh.

------------------------

A couple of hours later, Jack woke up, his body tired as if he used to feel when he was an agent, stuffy nose and feeling cold even wearing a flannel shirt and being wrapped with two comforters.

When you entered the bedroom and saw your husband all curled up on the bed, almost disappearing between the comforters, you shook your head and smiled, approaching the bed, letting the tray you had brought on the nightstand and sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Honey.” Jack mumbled and turned on the bed to look at you “I think I’m getting sick.”

“Oh, you think?” you raised one eyebrow and chuckled “Sit down, I have a couple of things for you.” He obeyed like a little toddler, still wrapped in the blankets “First things first.” You said while handing him a glass of water and a pill, and you knew he was miserable when he didn’t even question what it was before taking it.

“What is that?” he asked while looking at the tray.

“Well, I’m having my chance to make you eat something after getting some medicine as you always do with me.” You answered with a soft smile and put the tray on his lap.

“Steak sandwich and orange juice? I think I’m enjoying getting sick.” He said with a slight smirk and didn’t flinch before starting to eat, ignoring his slightly sore throat and mentally thanking that his palate wasn’t gone “Damn, honey, your hand for food is spectacular.” He said without care that his mouth was full, making you laugh and caress his hair.

“Anything to see my dear cowboy better.” You said while brushing his hair with your fingers.

“So, I’ll not have to pretend I’m getting worse for you to let me use you as my pillow?” he asked while looking at you with his infallible puppy eyes.

“You’ll not, but just because I abuse your goodwill when I’m sick.”

Flufftober masterlist

[christinesficrecs]

Hello, i hope youre having a lovely weekend/holiday so far, i was wondering if you could rec some movie aus preferably rom-coms? Thank you and i hope you're doing all good and are healthy. Lots of love!!! x

Hey! I hope you’re having a great holiday!! Here are some rom-com au’s. Since it’s New Year’s I have an excuse to rec this fic. AGAIN! 💜

Oh baby give me one more chance (to show you that I love you) by LunaCanisLupus_22 | 54.7K | Explicit

The Sweet Home Alabama AU that nobody asked for.

The Holiday by matildajones | 16.5K

It's Christmas, Stiles is alone, and he finds himself swapping Bed & Breakfasts with Cora Hale over the holidays.

Wait by cutloosemcgoose | 23.4K | Explicit

Sitting on his couch, staring at the wall, it feels like Derek is watching his whole, miserable, lonely life flash before his eyes. He’s twenty four and he’s alone. No family, no friends, no real pack. He’s six days away from spending one of the most family-oriented holidays of the year trying to avoid any human interaction. If anyone could see him right now, they would tell him he looks pathetic. If Laura could see him right now, she would probably beat the crap of him and then tell him he’s a loser.

A Walk in the Clouds by Dexterous_Sinistrous | 13.9K

The one set during WWII where Stiles is a pregnant grad student and Derek is a PTSD riddled soldier, both of them looking for a better life.

as long as the stars are above you, i will love you by ericaismeg | 14.8K

Four years ago, Stiles started working with Mr. Hale, and in that time, he's never hated another person as much. Suddenly, he's being pulled into a meeting room and being asked about their engagement or else Mr. Hale will be deported. Stiles can't afford to lose Derek now, so off to Beacon Hills they go for his grandmother's 90th birthday.

Oh boy, pretending to be engaged to the boss he's hated for years is going to be tough, especially when he realizes he doesn't hate him at all. Not one little bit.

The Rest of Your Life by paradis | 4.1K

“Seemed like a buttercream guy,” Stiles says innocently, and grabs two forks and pours two huge glasses of milk. They eat in silence and when Stiles finishes his mouth is filled with the too-sweet taste of peanut butter icing and chocolate cake, and he’s full, but he feels good, too. He stares at Derek, who’s licking his lips after his last bite of cake. “I think I’m probably not straight,” he says suddenly. And Derek says, “I ripped down the whole top floor of the house this morning thinking about Laura.”

A High School Cliché. by halelujah | 2.8K

“Are you the one that played a porno in the Principal’s office?” A gruff voice asks.

“Depends if you’re the one that threw a dumbbell through a window.” He drawls, not bothered in moving from his comfy spot.

Just Like Heaven by skargasm | 23.4K | Mature

Derek Hale is a recently widowed architect moving into a new apartment in Beacon Hills. But the apartment isn’t entirely empty: it’s haunted by the ghost of a man called Stiles. And although Stiles can’t remember much about his life, he’s convinced he isn’t really dead. While Derek recruits Kira, an absent-minded psychic, to get to the bottom of Stiles’ identity, he and Stiles begin to fall in love.

Easy Alpha by interropunct | 4.6K

Easy A/Teen Wolf AU. Wherein, Derek Hale is the high school hussy, Jackson and Scott really need to learn to use their inside voices. And, contrary to popular belief, everyone is still a virgin.

He's Just Knot That Into You by aggybird | 3.6K | Mature

Stiles doesn't have much luck finding Mr. Right, and Derek the bartender hears all about it. 

Seen that wild blue yonder (let's hide under the covers) by dearericbittle (dutchmoxie) | 25.9K | Explicit

Weatherman Stiles doesn’t have time for a relationship. So when his friend and neighbor uneasily tells him that he’s thinking about dating again, but he doesn’t feel ready yet, the solution seems obvious. Friend sex. Obviously.

Or: 5 times Derek asks Stiles about the weather, and one time he doesn’t need to ask.

The Proposal by Firenation | 17.9K | Explicit

Stiles Stilinski is the long-suffering assistant of Derek Hale, editor extraordinaire. Also jackass extraordinaire.

The Proposal AU where Stiles has to get engaged to his terrifying boss Derek in order to prevent him being deported. And somehow has to persuade his family that they're really in a relationship (stop laughing, Scott). Difficult doesn't even cover it.

I See Your Face Before Me by jezziejay | 9.2K

While Stiles was studying in New York, Scott moved to LA and found a new co-bestie. Stiles can't wait to meet him. The feeling, however, is far from mutual.

AU piece, based somewhat around one of the stories in the movie Love Actually. The end especially.

tumescent by kellifer_fic | 9.3K

"I would have to want to date Derek for your plan to work," Stiles points out, secure in the knowledge that his logic is infallible and yes, he's had a pointless and soul-destroying crush on Derek for as long as he can remember but nobody knows that.

I'll Love You Still in Hell by talktowater | 10.7K | Explicit

Stiles has always had these dreams where he was drowning, they were just dreams, really fucking horrible dreams but just dreams nevertheless. Right?

Seriously, it's like you're photoshopped. by nevermetawolf | 8K

"Oh my god," Stiles squeaks out again. "You're unbelievable."

Hot Bar Guy bobs his head agreeably. "I've been told that before, though usually people are more out of breath and less clothed when they say it."

Or, the Crazy, Stupid, Love AU nobody asked for.

A Lifetime of Laughter by the_problem_with_stardust | 15.4K | Mature

“Are you serious? Who in their right mind would marry me?”

“Well, you’re – you know – you.”

“Thanks. That clears everything up.”

The Beacon Hills version of a Proposal AU

We Pick Ourselves Undone | 24K

Derek Hale has been cursed with a wolf-like face since birth, which he can only be cured of by marrying a fellow high-society blueblood. Derek has little hope of ever finding anyone he can stand, or who can stand his face, until he meets Stiles, and his carefully-maintained isolation is completely upset.

[cynergy-laughter]

Obey Me! One Master to Abridge Them All! Ep. 5

5. Rewind... Rewind... Rewind...

Leviathan: W-What?! No, that doesn’t happen!

MC: Uh, yeah it does.

Diavolo: Enn doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would lie about something so detailed... I think we know who the winner is...

Leviathan: No... NNOOOOO! *changes into demon form* You shouldn’t know any of this! You are just a newbie wannabe! You got into TSL in such a short time, and now this... I will not accept this... I will not recognize you as a fan!!! *runs at Enn*

MC: Oh shi- *falls down* Mammon!

Mammon: I’m comin- GAH! *slips on some melted ice cream* Dammit! I can’t get there in time... run!

Levi: I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY A NORMIE!!! *reaches out hands to wring Enn’s neck*

*Freeze!*

MC: *voiceover* This is me, I know what you’re thinking, this is a huge jump from the last time we left off. Oh dang... I look so scared at that frame... who even got that angle of me? Well they deserve a raise... uhh anywho, you’re probably wondering how I got here... well good, fleeting audience, I shall tell you how.

*rewinds two days and two nights ago*

MC: *groaning, brushing their teeth and getting ready for bed* I knew I shouldn’t have eaten that garlic and ghost pepper devil potato salad... best potato salad I’ve ever had, but feels like a detox coming out... *sprays and finishes up in the bathroom*

???: H-Help... Help me...

MC: *eyes widen* Oh please tell me I’m not in a bathroom fever dream...

???: Please... help... follow my voice...

MC: ... Yeah, cause that always goes well...

*follows to the attic stairs anyway*

Lucifer: *pops up out of nowhere* Go back now. There’s nothing up there for you.

MC: For me? Now you’ve piqued my interest.

Lucifer: Well there’s nothing at the peak for you, go back to your room. Don’t ever go up to the attic.

MC: How do you spell attic, by the way?

Lucifer: ... A-T-T-I-C.

MC: Ah! You naughty boy, why were you looking down there?! *puts hands over chest* My eyes are up here.

Lucifer: *blinks and blushed mad, realizing what he just said* Room. Now.

MC: *tries not to laugh as they go to their room*

—————

MC: *sitting at breakfast, alone with Mammon, zoned out*

Mammon: Hey! Are you even listening to me?!

MC: Hmm? Oh, sorry, as soon you started talking crap about me I kinda just turned your ranting into background noise.

Mammon: ...Well... don’t do that, you don’t just skip over The Great Talkative Mammon’s dialogue, that’s rude.

MC: Did you... really just add another adjective to your Name Title?

Mammon: Yeah, what you gonna argue with The Great Infallible Mammon?

MC: I literally made you enter a pact with me two nights ago.

Mammon: Shut up! Gah! Why did I have to be the one who be paired with you. It’s all Levi’s fault that I’m with you in the first place... no, it’s all Lucifer’s fault... none of this would have happened if it wasn’t for him...

MC: *sighs, and goes on another daydream, he wanted to know how to get past Lucifer*

*Earlier last night*

MC: *Casually walks toward the stairs* Hey Lucifer, can I see what’s upstairs, please?

Lucifer: No.

MC: tch, almost had him... *walks back to room*

*present*

Mammon: ...Lucifer’s color scheme reminds me of those OP DeviousArtsy original characters, like Red and Black? Seriously? Get a better outfit, especially if you’re gonna wear brown shoes, why can’t you wear black, you’re already wearing so much of it! Oh and to top it off, his feet reek... not that I’ve... ever smelled them... but I’m saying it, so it’s true-

MC: Mammon, what’s in the attic?

Mammon: Don’t change the subject, right now we’re discussing Lucifer’s feet, which, by the way, freaking stin- wait what?

MC: ... Mammon. Attic. What’s up there?

Mammon: ... Geez, you really don’t know how to mind your business do you?

MC: I do, but I feel like I’m already more involved than anyone could ever realize...

—————

Mammon: *walking with Enn to Levi’s room* If you wanna get past Lucifer and find out what’s in the attic... You’ll need something that Lucifer wants, and I think I know just who to go to for that something...

MC: *looks at Levi’s room door* ... So why the hell are we outside the Ultimate Otaku’s door? What does he have that Lucifer wants?

Mammon: *whispering* There’s a record of the limited cursed edition of the TSL soundtrack in there, he absolutely loves it, so we just gotta ask Levi for it, it’ll be easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

MC: One, don’t ever say that again. Two, I don’t know how easy it’s gonna be since Levi wants nothing to do with me, and three... oh what the hell. *knocks on the door*

Levi: What’s the secret phrase?

MC: *looks at Mammon* Yeah, Mammon, this sure is gonna be lemon squeezy.

Mammon: Okay, Levi, let us in, it’s The Great Older Brother Mammon, and his pact slave.

MC: *leers at Mammon* You’re about to be the Great Fat-Lipped Mammon in a minute.

Mammon: *shied away a couple of steps* At least capitalize the T in the word The...

Levi: I am known by someone outside the door as the Ultimate Otaku, and to gain entry, you must say the secret phrase.

Mammon: *leers at Enn* So great, he was listening the whole time, and you’re calling me names?

MC: Ugh... umm... Rurichan is bae? Mammon’s an idiot? Enn’s a Normie?

Levi: ... while it is all true, bzzt! Wrong! Access denied.

Solomon: *appears behind them* Well, if it isn’t the celebrity and his newfound pet demon~.

MC: *jumps up, and holds Mammon close to them* Get the hell outta here, Goblin King, we ain’t wishing for nothing.

Solomon: *smirks* Sorry for scaring you, Enn. *knocks on the door* The fifth lord...

Levi: ...couldn’t keep his huge rod in his pants and took the Lord of Corruption’s wife to bed...

Solomon: And for the betrayal done unto his home...

Levi: The Lord of Corruption named him the Lord of Lechery, and cursed him with eternal unattainable climax. Secret phrase approved, welcome to my kingdom.

Solomon: *smirks* Peace out suckas. *hits the whip, and nae-naes backward into Levi’s room*

MC: *still holding Mammon protectively* So the Goblin King had an invitation?

Mammon: *blushing* ... You do know that was the secret phrase right?

MC: ... *knocks on the door* The Fifth Lord-

Levi: Bzzzt! The password has been reset! Bitch you thought! Next time know more about TSL before you try me, normie!

MC: *growls and bangs on the door* GAH! Go to Heaven you K-Pop Justin Bieber!

Mammon: Enn! ENN! Don’t, you don’t wanna get in trouble with Lucifer, not this early in the year... *pulls Enn away*

Levi: *with in the room* You see what I have to deal with? The violent life of the yucky otaku.

Solomon: Hmm...

*interviews*

Solomon: *bursts out laughing* PFFFTHAHAHAHA! K-Pop Justin B-Beihihiberrrr! Oh my god, I have to text that to Asmo... *starts texting* Man, as belligerent as Enn is, they sure know how to roast someone...

MC: Don’t worry, this makes day 4 that he hasn’t noticed. But... I have to find a way to get him to give me the record... God, I don’t know what it is with Levi, he just knows how to push my buttons... have I let him get to me?

—————

Mammon: So... why am I gonna be watching this with that human... and Beel... why are you here?

Beel: A Movie marathon means popcorn, and I had a craving.

Mammon: ... Of course you did.

MC: *comes in with a huge tub of popcorn* Alright, a huge tub of popcorn, extra butter and salt for Beel, a pack of chocolate coins for Mammon, and a sensible bowl of popcorn and soda for myself. Oh, I also made all of us slushees.

Mammon: *blinks* slushees? What are those?

MC: It’s cherry and blue raspberry.

Beel: *eyes widen* Why is it that you continue to amaze me with your snacks?

Mammon: Did you really just ask that question? Did YOU... just ask that question? The bigger question is how did you make these?

MC: Not important. Alright boys, 12 hours ain’t gonna watch itself, let’s get ready... The Tale of The Seven Lords... *presses Play*

————— The next day...

Levi: Human.

MC: *looks at Levi* Wow, look at who decided to grace us with his presence after spending his whole day in his room.

Levi: Don’t talk down to me just cause you have all the time in the world to do what you want, like having a TSL marathon. Totally not fair by the way.

Mammon: Wow, talk about nosy, were you spying on us?

Levi: No, Golden Moron, I heard it from Lucifer.

MC: First of all, don’t steal my joke, I worked hard for that, and second of all, for someone who minds his business, you sure do like knowing everyone else’s.

Levi: I don’t want to hear you talking especially since you are the ruler of not minding your business! Just cause you’re trying to suck up to me, doesn’t mean we’re gonna be all buddy-buddy. So get it through your thick head.

MC: Leviathan, I challenge you to a TSL Fan-Off.

Levi: *blinks* Excuse me? Are you serious? You really think that you, a human normie is gonna out-fan me?! LMMFAO! That’s not even a contest.

MC: Wow, I never knew you were a chicken, Levi.

Levi: ... what?

MC: I’m just saying if you had your own fursona, it would be a chicken. Ba-GAWK!

Levi: ... You take that back. I would N E V E R !

MC: Because you already are Levi, just cause you didn’t accept. An Otaku Chicken, I can see the Fanart now!

Levi: You know what, I was gonna spare you the embarrassment, but now I’m gonna make it my goal to destroy you in that Fan-off, human. When I’m finished with you, your time in the Devildom will be cut short. But, if by some odd miracle you best me, I’ll join Mammon as one of your pacts. Not like it’s ever gonna happen, I mean, I’ve only been following TSL all of a millennia. And that, compared to your 12 hour marathon, should speak to how much more knowledge I have of TSL than you. So let’s see who Fans off more. Student Council hall, today after school, and don’t chicken out.

MC: Heh, just I eat chicken doesn’t mean I am one. I’ll see you then.

*there was an intense stare down, until there was a loud cackling from upstairs*

Asmo: BWAHAHAHA! K-Pop Justin Beiber, I’m done! Solomon, I am done with you! AAAHH! YAAASS!

[ahsokaoswin]

Grading Papers

A/N: Alright so this is my first time posting my writing, like at all...I just decided there wasn’t enough Ozpin x reader so I wrote some myself. 

In this one you’re a teacher at Beacon. Also, y/f/b = your favorite breakfast. Just some fluff. 

I think that’s it so enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You were sitting in your office. Classes had let out at least 4 hours ago but there you were, still grading papers. This week had actually been pretty busy for you. You’d pulled a lot of all-nighters trying to get grading done after going on a mission for Ozpin during the first half of the week. You’d had maybe 12 hours of sleep over the last 5 days. On top of all that one of your classes had just handed in their ten page essays (on Grimm of their choosing), and most of what you were reading was giving you a headache. After finishing struggling through a one Cardin Winchester’s paper, your head simply fell to your desk in defeat. “I just can’t read another paper” you thought as you raised your arms onto the desk so that your head was resting on them instead of the hard surface and let your mind wander. Your thoughts, unwittingly, drifted towards your close friend (and if we’re being perfectly honest long-time crush) Ozpin. 

“Come on, don’t tell me that you actually only know how to make hot chocolate!” you were in fits of giggles, one arm wrapped around your middle and the other around Ozpin as you leaned against him for support. 

“Well, it isn’t that I don’t know how… it’s just that… well… shall we say… it doesn’t tend to go well…” was his sheepish response.

“So boiling water to make tea or coffee is too much?”

“Well…” now he was laughing with you, “I suppose”

“And you’re how old again?”

“Well technically…”

“you’re several thousand years old and have yet to master more than one warm beverage,” you finish, as you finally get the laughing under control.

“Well, since it seems you know what you’re doing, why don’t you come up to my office and teach me?”

“Me? The infallible headmaster of Beacon Academy wants to learn something…from me?” you tease, turning to look at him. Which is when you realize that at some point he had turned to look down at you, and now your faces were dangerously close together and he’s looking directly into your eyes. You stare for a while in shock but once you’ve processed this, you look back down, at the wall, at your feet, eyes flitting around trying to look anywhere other than at Ozpin. “Yeah, sure I’ll try to help your lost cause,”.

He only chuckled as you walked towards his office.

You must have fallen asleep without realizing because the next thing you know, there’s a light pressure on your shoulder and you find yourself being gently shaken awake. You look up, groggily, and see the clock on your desk first: 9:30…oops. You look over to the person who had just woken you up, Ozpin. Of course, I mean, who else would still be at the school this late, he probably saw that your light was still on as he was leaving to go back to his dorm. 

“Y/n?” His voice was soft, but you could tell he was holding back a chuckle. 

“mmmmph” came your gruff response, you were still half asleep and really just wanted to stay where you were.

“Come on, we need to get you home,” now he was chuckling as he offered you a hand up. You didn’t take it.

“Jus’ leave me, ‘m tired.”

“When was the last time you got a good night’s sleep?”

“mmmmm…Friday?”

“It’s Thursday.”

“I know…”

“Come on now…y/n? Y/n!” He sighed, you’d fallen back to sleep. He tried shaking your shoulder again but this time it didn’t do anything to stir you. He thought for a moment. He couldn’t exactly leave you here- no that wouldn’t do. Unfortunately, you were terribly stubborn and refused to live on school grounds unlike most of the teachers at the academy. You claimed it made you feel too much like a student. This normally wouldn’t have bothered him, except he couldn’t remember where you lived, and honestly he wasn’t about to let you drive home even if he could get you awake again. That didn’t leave him with many options. 

“I knew I should have made her take more days off after that mission.” Ozpin muttered as he picked up your bag, “Well, I suppose there’s only one course of action to take.” and then he lifted you into his arms bridal style. He exited the classroom, locking the door behind him. As he was walking towards the teacher’s wing he looked down at you and smiled, “She’s so pretty when she’s relaxed like this…wait…what?” he sighed as he reached the doors to the wing.

When he arrived at the headmaster’s quarters, he carried you in and set you on his bed (he only had one bedroom and he wasn’t about to make you sleep on the couch. No, he would take the couch, that was only polite.) He carefully took your shoes off and then set your bag by them at the foot of the bed, then he pulled the covers over you and tucked you in. He leaned down and whispered “Goodnight, Y/n,” before pressing a quick kiss to your hairline. He stood up to leave, but stopped as you realized that you had wrapped your hand around his wrist and wouldn’t let go. Your eyes were still closed, but you mumbled, “Stay with me,” in a voice that was sleepy and adorable and just too challenging to deny, and, to be perfectly honest, it wasn’t as though Ozpin needed that much convincing anyways. He crawled in behind you, and since his hand was still firmly in your grasp, his arm wound up being draped over your waist. It didn’t take long for him to fall into the same deep sleep you were already in. 

                                                     ~~~~~~~~~~

Ozpin almost never needed an alarm as he naturally woke up quite early. When he did come round, the first thing that he registered was the fact that there was someone else in bed next to him, and then that they had beautiful (h/c) hair, and then what had happened last night came flooding back to him. He blushed, furiously. You had shifted in your sleep so that you were practically on top of him, which felt disconcertingly nice, and somehow very right, but it was also not exactly professional, and you were still only friends after all and what would you think of him taking you back to his rooms while you were asleep? Would you be angry? Had he been wrong not to just let you sleep in your classroom? He snapped away from his thoughts when you stirred slightly and snuggled closer to him in your sleep (if that was even possible). He looked down at you and smiled. He shifted slightly, careful not to wake you and grabbed his scroll from where it rested on the bedside table. He messaged Glinda to say that he would be coming in late this morning and marked you as sick and set up someone to cover your classes. Then, he gently got out from under you. He didn’t wake you, but you did frown a bit at the loss of proximity. He had to hold back a chuckle, you were so cute when you pouted. Yet, being that you’d decided that work was more important than sleep, Ozpin figured that you had also probably not eaten a proper meal in the last few days, so he was determined to cook you something wholesome. 

You opened your eyes slowly, to find the sun shining through the window. You took in the mahogany paneling, and green curtains and bedsheets. You realized that you were in what was quite probably the comfiest bed you had ever slept in, and that it smelled wonderfully like Ozpin and that…wait. Where were you? You’d never been here, and the last thing you remembered was grading papers, and then…oh. Ozpin. Waking you up. He must have- but, what, taken you back to his rooms? No. He’s kind, and you two are very close, but, certainly he would have just woken you and walked you to your car or something; not let you stay over at his place. That was when you smelled it. Y/f/b. “No way,” you smiled to yourself, “No way Ozpin is actually cooking. And since when does he remember what my favorite breakfast is?” You decided that this needed some investigating. If Ozpin had been faking not being able to cook, you were never going to let him live it down. 

You slowly got out of bed and stretched, yawning slightly. That was the best night’s rest that you’d had in…well, you couldn’t remember the last time you’d slept so well. You walked lazily towards where the smell seemed to be coming from. You rounded the corner to the kitchen to see a reasonably stressed Ozpin attempting to cook y/f/b. You smiled. He looked absolutely adorable. His brows were knit together as he tried not to burn anything. He nearly jumped out of his skin when you spoke: “So… You can cook. Since when??” you smirked, and he met your eyes with a glint in his own. 

“I wouldn’t exactly say that this qualifies as knowing how to cook,” he quickly looked down as something splattered.

You chuckled taking a few steps forward until you were standing next to him behind the counter, “Let me?”.

He nodded gratefully and stepped aside to let you take over. That was when you saw the clock, and that it read 10:10. “Oh my Gods, Oz we should both be at work!”

He chuckled, “Don’t worry, I marked you as sick and got someone to cover your classes, and I told Glinda that I would come in this afternoon. 

“Mmm, and who exactly is covering my classes?”

“Erm,” Ozpin visibly cringed, “Qrow?”

“Oh no. Oh no. No way am I leaving him to cover my classes. Oz how could you? I’m going, right now.” You started to walk back towards the bedroom, where your things were.

“Oh no you’re not,” Ozpin’s arm wrapped around your waist and pulled you back to him before you could get away. You tried your best not to blush as he held you against him. He locked eyes with you, “When I found you yesterday I couldn’t even wake you up you were so exhausted. Y/n, you need the day off, please just take it.”

You sighed and looked over at the food that was still cooking on the stove. You knew he was right, and, honestly, Qrow probably couldn’t do that much damage in a single day. 

“Alright, but if Qrow messes up my classroom I’ll never forgive you for convincing me to leave it unattended.”

Ozpin, never actually wound up heading to his office, and you were far too pleased about it. Instead you two spent a very relaxing day together, which was really something that you both needed. There were a lot of movies, cards, and general shenanigans. Neither of you realized how late it had gotten until you got a text from one of your room-mates. 

“Hey Y/n, just saw that you didn’t come home last night. (we all figured you might be having some fun) but you still aren’t back. You ok?”

You looked at the clock, it was nearly nine. You quickly responded that you’d just wound up staying at a friend’s house and that you were fine. 

“Oz, it’s getting late, I should really head home.”

“Ah, I suppose it is. I…um… it was nice spending time with you, although I hope I never have to carry you back to my rooms because you’re so sleep deprived I can’t even wake you up ever again.” 

“I’ll try not to let that happen, maybe I should just move into a room in the school just in case I ever need it,” you laughed lightly.

“You and I both know that I think that’s a good idea. In fact…” he pulled out his scroll, “I’ll sort that out right now.”

“Sounds good Oz. I’ll see you tomorrow,” You smiled at him as you both walked towards the door.

“See you then,” He smiled back as you stepped outside.

“Oh and Oz,” You turned back as he looked up, a little surprised.

“Yes?”

“Thanks for everything.”

“It was really a pleasure y/n. Now drive safe.”

“Will do,” and with that you turned and walked down the hallway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it!

-ahsokaoswin 

[chicago-reeed]

PHCK ME - Reed900 Fic Rec List

Hello!!! You might not remember, but awhile back I mentioned I had the start of a fic rec list that I planned to post (which I never did). To celebrate all 1K+ of you, I thought I would finish the list for you! It is my duty as a loyal reed900 servant.

DISCLAIMER: This list of reccomendations was made purely out of personal opinion. I by no means want to discredit any other fics/authors. Some may not agree with my choices, and that’s totally understandable. I just wanted to share these fics because I personally enjoyed them <3

I didn’t include some fics because they haven’t been updated in a long time, or I didn’t remember them enough to give them accurate reviews. Also, I’m sure there are many more fics that I forgot to put on here (these are from my ao3 bookmarks). I might include them in a future update.

Anyways, all of my recs are under the cut! There are a lot!! I had eight pages worth of them in my documents haha

Mint Condition - by itsdefinitive - Mature - Content warnings - Chapters 18/? - Reed could see what they were going for there -- the whole infallible super-soldier thing.  A monument to testosterone made perfect, cast in steel within plastic.  It was actually really creepy.  Maybe that was on purpose.

The first reed900 fic I read, and it’s honestly what got me into the pairing itself.

Charon - by Vapewraith - Explicit: only suitable for adults - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 20/20 - Gavin Reed, a mess of a human being, just wants to be left to his self destructive tendencies. RK900, an android designed by the most brilliant minds in the world to be the perfect machine, is desperate to grasp the full range of emotional freedom now afforded to him. The two will need to find an equilibrium before their incompatible personalities—and an eccentric serial killer with a dangerous piece of tech—swallow them whole.

I can’t even describe how much I love this fic. I’m a slut for horror, and there’s plenty of that in here. It might just be my favorite. Definitely recommend.

Two Sides of a Vaguely Similar Coin - by ZombiBird - Mature - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 13/? - RK900 is lost.

It’s been months since the Revolution and he’s still no closer to figuring out what the hell he’s supposed to be doing with himself. He feels like an outsider in his own body. Completely detached, nothing more than a quiet observer; like he’s looking down at the world through a layer of glass instead of fully living in it.

Gavin Reed is a temperamental asshole.

This isn’t news, okay? Gavin’s fully aware of what he is. He burns bridges instead of building them. Bites hands instead of shaking them. Would rather drown in a sea comprised of the consequences of his faults and misdeeds than try to change the way he is. Because people like him? Maybe they deserve to drown.

[Alternatively: Both lost in different ways, Gavin and RK900 try to figure their shit out and end up learning that, sometimes, it takes two people who have absolutely no idea what the hell they’re doing to get a goddamn clue.]

I don’t remember much about this fic, if I’m honest. Not that the story is forgettable, it’s just been awhile since I read it. However, the title definitely stood out to me so I know it was very good :P

Captcha Encryption - by Cerulaine - Explicit: only suitable for adults - Content warnings - Chapters 18/? - It's a little over a year after the android uprising and it's still the end of the fucking world.

Back in the day when things became shit he used to enjoy a drink or two. Or Five. It all depended on how long the shift ran. After 'The Accident' he can't even cough without Nines breathing down his neck anymore.

He just wishes everything would go back to normal, but if there's anything Gavin has learned it's that you can't unring a bell once it's been rung.

Or whatever. Fuck if he knows.

Similar situation to the last fic: I don’t remember much about it (my memory SUCKS), but I do remember thoroughly enjoying this one.

Daydreamer - by Pence - Mature - Content warnings - Chapters 21/24 - Large purple bruises twined prettily around the corpse’s throat, every finger defined in perfect cruelty. His eyes tore away from the handprints as a cold finger traced the lightning strike scar across the center of his face—drawing his attention to a small, blue lipped smile.

“Do you think you’ll ever leave this town, Gavin?”

________

When a series of Detroit murders are linked as originating in his hometown, Gavin Reed is unwillingly assigned the case. Fowler insists that his history with the place and people will hugely benefit such an investigation.

He was fucking wrong. 

This fic is one big holy shit moment tbh. Really fantastic. Really makes you wonder why these authors aren’t paid to do this.

All Aboard the Underground Railroad - by Senjihae - No Rating - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 11/? - What starts as sticking it towards his half brother evolves into something with the potential to rewrite android history as he knows it. Gavin doesn't realize what he gets himself into until he is mistaken as the 'Android Messiah' of all things. It's not like he goes out of his way to help them, but his life gets a lot harder once Hank is assigned a shiny new boy toy ('sent by CyberLife').

Things only get worse when he's gifted a heap of metal of his own ('sent by Elijah Kamski').

(Yeah, fuck off Elijah)

Very interesting fic. Gavin is RA9 so that’s a thing. A nice slow burn!

Dragon Become Age - by errantwheat - Explicit: only suitable for adults - Content Warnings - Chapters 11/? - Y’all wanted me to write dragon age!au so I did :)

YES! YES! YES! DRAGON AGE AU! YES! YES! YES! (it’s really gud)

Warmth - by TheRedPaladin101 - Teen and Up Audiences - No Warnings - Chapters 1/1 - Gavin frowned, the aching in his shoulder fading from his mind for a moment. “Then give me my jacket.”

“Your jacket is in no condition to keep you warm,” he stated. “For now, use mine and stay warm while we wait to head back to the station.”

----

Five times RK900 gave Gavin Reed his jacket, and one time Gavin gave his in return.

Very wholesome. Lives up to its title. Some good ole hurt/comfort!

Letifer - Terminallydepraved - Explicit: only suitable for adults - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 19/19 - Gavin Reed is a DPD beat cop determined to make detective by any means possible, and putting an end to a string of murders looks like the quickest way to accomplishing that goal. Unfortunately for him, he fails to account for the real culprit— or the thought that perhaps he isn't the only one on the hunt for a killer.

(Now with cover art by Leetmorry!)

I love beat cop!gavin. It humbles him. And vampire!nines is scary and amazing. Love how the author wrote both of these characters (and the others too!). I definitely recommend this one!

A Strange and Beautiful Creature -  by LittleLalaith - General audiences - No warnings - Chapters 7/7 - Scientist Nines is called in to Amanda's lab to assist with a new discovery - a genuine Mermaid.

While Amanda is indifferent to the creature's circumstances, Nines builds an unlikely connection to the specimen and they grow a little closer than either of them expected.

(AKA Gavin is a sassy sea slug and Nines thrills in breaking the safety protocols)

Mermaid au! Nines wants to save mermaid Gavin, and it’s all very wholesome.

I Think You Do - by spotlightonmringenue - Teen and Up Audiences - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 16/? - “Son of a bitch, there’s another one. What the fuck is it doing,” Gavin says, grip going white on the gun as the android continues to stare at him without acknowledging Connor.

“RK900, my name is Connor. I’m part of a group called Jericho that recovered you from Cyberlife’s Production Center late yesterday. We are currently in the Detroit Police Department Central Station. Are you feeling okay?”

“It doesn’t feel shit,” Gavin mumbles, resisting the urge to step back as the RK900 takes a step closer. It holds out the cup, and Gavin’s eyes dart to it for only a second before flipping between Connor and his doppelganger.

“You requested coffee,” it says, and Hank sighs, leaning back against his desk while rubbing a hand over his forehead.

Quality ‘enemies to friends’ content. Nines is intimidating. Gavin is confused. Good times.

Flying with Crooked Wings - by UnCon - Mature - No warnings - Chapters 20/? - “Listen, kid,” Gavin started, cutting off the desolate child. Sure it was sad his dog had died but it wasn’t Gavin’s fault no one taught the little twerp chocolate was a dog’s kryptonite, “he’s in a better place, alright, so if you’d just stop asking for him to come back—it’d be much appreciated.”

“You promise?” the eight-year-old asked, his big brown eyes looking like glass—fragile and sparkly.

“Yeah,” Gavin lied, looking away as he did it—his halo going a bit crooked. To be honest, he wasn’t sure where dogs went after they died, only that he was tasked with calming the little boys and girls who despaired after them—at least until his punishment was up. “So just, you know, go to sleep and all that.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In a world where angels and demons inhabit the same earth, both searching for a way to overthrow the other, both failing--Gavin sits right in the middle, with a crooked halo and a pair of wings to match. It's not enough to be a bit mischievous, however, he also has to get caught up in the demon brothers' scheme to take over heaven. Perfect.

Really good! This fic has the interesting dynamic of Gavin as an angel and Nines as a demon. Check it out!

The Red String Will Still Connect Us Ten Thousand Miles Apart (and to the moon and back) - by Jillflur - Teen and Up - Content warnings - Chapters 5/5 - Gavin, an ‘unlovable’ man without a Soulmate. He was used to it, never had one since he could remember. However, that little fact changes when he wakes up one day and realizes that he suddenly has a Red String connected to his ring finger. It only gets worse when months later, an android walks into the precinct who apparently is his new Soulmate!

Can androids even have Soulmates?!

To make everything even more complicated, a sudden new killer is on the Streets, and he murders people by cutting their Red Strings!

A soulmate fic by our very own jillflur! So good. Amazin. I love the red string trope so much. Yall should big read.

the prince & the reed - by Pence - Mature - Content warnings - Chapters 2/? - "I wanted to marry you," the prince murmured, polished armor gleaming as he stared down at the injured man--icy eyes tinged with sadness. Regret.

A guttural scream ripped from the soldier's throat as a heel dug into his wound, arm coated crimson from his weeping shoulder.

The soldier's teeth were stained pink as he jerked his chin up to grin toothily at the other man, bloody fingers scrambling down his thigh in search of the dagger tucked into his boot.

"Then drop to your knees and ask me properly, Nines."

Okay this fic is only two chapters and hasn’t been updated in awhile but GOT DAMN do I love how the author set this medieval fic up. I’m a slut for the medieval au’s, so that’s just extra points.

Not a teacher but I can teach you a thing or two - by Adishailan - Teens and Up - No warnings - Chapters 20/20 - Gavin owed the walking hunk of plastic. He owed him. Ugh, Gavin hated owing people stuff. It gave him a horrible feeling in his stomach, like indigestion, except worse because it involved emotionsTM. This, coupled with the fact he was pumped up with drugs and suffering a concussion, was why he was about to make a terrible, terrible mistake.

“‘Kay. Fine. Thanks or whatever. Lemme know if you ever need anythin' prick.”

RK900’s LED went yellow at this, and this time Gavin was pretty sure he was doing the processing thing. It was still yellow even when he nodded in a serious way and said:

“That would be useful.”

Oh man this one is BIG CUTE! It’s so soft, and is a fantastic slow burn. I totally recommend this fic.

O May I Join the Choir Invisible - by BanishedOne - Mature - No warnings - Chapters 13/? - Gavin Reed was a new inmate at a prison where the infamous killer, R. Nathan Kearney, was on death row. Circumstances led to an unfortunate encounter.

Okay don’t quote me on this but I think you can find the rest of this fic on Twitter. It was posted in a bunch of seperate posts and it was really confusing but there was definitely extra chapters. You can find the post here (or at BanishedOne on twitter). Other than that, this is a really good fic! The boys get into a lot of trouble!

Neon Maps - by caffienefueledfeels - Explicit: only suitable for adults - Content warnings - Chapters 11/11 - Everyone has their limits. Gavin is about to discover several of his own.

He's broke, barely scraping along, and struggling to keep an aggressive black-mailer off his back. On top of that, the grey-eyed distraction in his bed is about to test his heart in more ways than one.

Cyberpunk fic!! Super interesting! Go check it out!

Computers Are Elaborate Cat Beds, Actually - by errantwheat - No Rating - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 6/? - “Marvelous find, Gavin. They’ll promote you for this, surely.”

Gavin pulled an exaggerated frown. He was awfully animated for a robot. “Jesus, What kind of human are you? I’m waving a fucking kitten in your face and you’re still a bitch.”

Really cute. I’m pretty sure there’s some art to go with this fic. Super duper cute reverse au!

More Than a Woman, More Than a Bride - by AvixiLynn91 - Explicit: only suitable for adults - Content warnings - Chapters 38/? - When Gavin’s life is threatened for the last time by a violent gang expanding the production of a new drug in Detroit, Captain Fowler must come up with a plan for his safety. Perhaps forcing a marriage between Nines and Gavin wasn’t the best solution he could come up with...

Oh man. This fic. Let me tell you. I’ve been with this fic since the beginning and it is one hell of a roller coaster XD. The author updates constantly, it’s really impressive.

More Like You - by Mooneye - Teen and Up - No warnings - Chapters 1/1 - “This next bit’s going to get awkward. I’m going to interface with you.”

At that he could feel the collective confusion in the room. His eyes darted up to look at Hank and then Nines. They both seemed eerily still and were possibly thinking that Gavin had surely lost his mind.

Gavin has kept his prosthetic arm, with good reason, a secret from humans and androids alike for as long as he’s had it. The prospect of losing Nines threatens to unravel everything, but perhaps it’s worth the cost.

The idea of Gavin (an android hater in-game) having a prosthetic-android arm is definitely interesting!

An Unforeseen Union - by AvixiLynn91 - Explicit: only suitable for adults - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 16/16 - Gavin and Nines are sent undercover to investigate a slew of brutal murders at a gay counselling and therapy resort for androids and humans. They're forced to pose as a couple, but soon feel their relationship becoming more than an act as real feelings develop.

I loved the dramatic whodunnit vibes in this fic! It gets crazy :P

The Great DPD Kink-Off - by connorssock, LittleLalaith, Skye_Willows, Stujet9rainshine - Explicit: only suitable for adults - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 24/24 - It started out as a bit of rivalry and turned into a competition. Who was the kinkiest android in town?

If you like smut, then read this. That is all I will say.

The Black Nights, The Long Dark - by bvssbot - Explicit - Content warnings - Chapters 8/12 - translation of an amazing russian fic тёмные ночи, долгая тьма (the dark nights, the long darkness) into english

An unknown catastrophe was the reason Gavin ended up stranded alone on a godforsaken Canadian island. Having almost made peace with the thought of living in solitude for the rest of his days, he saves the life of a pilot named Richard, whose airplane crashed in the middle of his humanitarian mission.

Shit, I loved ‘The Long Dark’ and I love this fic. I don’t speak russian, unfortunately, so I must wait to read the end. But this is still amazing and you all should read it.

Detroit: Outlast - by Cardboardghost - Mature - Content warnings - Chapters 1/? - Connor Upshur is a down on his luck reporter, who spends his nights getting drunk and passing out at home. A mysterious email calls him to Mount Massive Asylum, owned by the Cyberlife corporation. Armed with nothing but a camera and his wits, Connor must brave the asylum's horrors and find way to save the people Cyberlife stole from him.

Gavin Park is a beat cop looking for a more well paying job. So when an offer to work private security at the Cyberlife corporation all but falls into his lap, how could he refuse? Gavin quickly realizes things are not what they seem, and in an attempt to expose Cyberlife, he ends up further in their clutches. Now he and Connor must work together to claw their way out of the asylum's depths, and the familiar faces that wait inside those walls.

This fic only has onw chapter, but go check out Cardboardghost’s art if you finish reading this!! They have provided so much quality content for the Outlast/DBH crossover I didn’t know I needed.

Gin & Tonic - by limchi - Explicit - No warnings - Chapters 8/? - People didn’t like Gavin Reed. Gavin Reed didn’t like people. It went together like gin and tonic, you can’t have one without the other. Nines hated him and he hated Nines. Those were the rules they played by, the rules that couldn't be changed - until fate decided they could.

It turned Gavin into pretending to dislike and Nines into a dense idiot with a crush, unable to grasp the concept of love. Both in utter denial. The catch: gravity worked against them, pulled them together at a frightening pace. Push against and defy the rules of nature or go along the prevailing forces?

Your friendly neighborhood reed900 fic. Very epic slow burn and fluff (and a hint of angst tbh). I definitely recommend!

Bitter Half - by turnabout - Mature - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 5/5 - Gavin Reed was born unmarked, and had spent his entire life expecting to die like he lived - alone. It isn't until Tina points out the new serial number on his chest that he realizes everything is about to change. Whether that's for better or for worse is up to him.

I’m a sucker for soulmate fics and this one does not disappoint!

K-900 - by Serazimei - Teen and Up - No warnings - Chapters 3/3 - Gavin and Nines were a great team. Unfortunately they were both huge workaholics. That's why when Nines' body gets busted on a job and the needed parts aren't available yet chaos is inevitable. Needing to choose between waiting and potentially being of no use at work or participate in one of Kamskis experiments and transfer his mind into an Android dog the decision is easy to make.

Who knew being in a dog body could become such a hassle? Not Nines, that's for sure.

Nines is a pup!!! I don’t believe I’ve seen a fic like this yet, so it’s really cool!

Thanks I'm Hating It - by Lupo (LupoLight) - Explicit: only suitable for adults - No warnings - Chapters 4/4 - Gavin goes to a fast food burger joint and Nines judges him. Then he realizes that Gavin isn't as much of a dick as he used to be, except he is, but in a different way. He isn't sure how to react to this knowledge.

QUALITY reed900 content

Bloodstains - by DeviantAlicee - Mature - Content warnings - Chapters 12/? - Nines is an interrogator & detective for the DPD with a dark past. His thick skin & smarts helping him to be one of the most valuable members of the department. He's cold & daunting.

GV200 is one of the first police android models who's partnered with a cruel beat cop who not only hates that his partner is an android but doesn't think GV can feel any of the cruel things he does or says to him. The android doesn't speak up due to the fear of being shut down.

Nines has no clue that the android he bumped into at a bar is in fact a police android. He just thinks that he might be somebody in need of some help. But, as time passes by & a new drug that can be used by androids begins to circulate, Nines begins to realise the situation is a whole lot more convoluted than he originally thought.

This is a really interesting reverse au! Check it out!

Team spirit - by ilse_writes - Mature - No warnings - Chapters 4/4 - Someone had the unholy idea to go camping with the department, all in the name of 'team building'. Gavin is not liking it very much. That tall instructor with his haughty manners and cool eyes... that one he likes very much.

I don’t think I’ve seen another au quite like this one. Very epic content, can we hit Gavin Reed?

Wake Up - by SkySquid22 - Mature - Content warnings - Chapters 6/? - “Gavin!”

GV200 slipped out of his stasis. He didn’t get a chance to open his eyes before a file came down on his face, smacking him.

“And here I thought tin cans didn’t sleep.”

Something was wrong.

Something was very very wrong.

DIS GOT ME  F U C K E D  U P!!! Bruh @skysquid200 really out here shaking my world with this fic. I was hollering while reading this like I got HYPED

Natural - by Erik_Heinrich - Teen and Up - Author chose not to warn for content - Chapters 1/? - They are all wing people.

Gavin gets partnered with Nines. As expected hes not too happy about it, but their partnership seems to be going well. That is until spring comes along. Nines wings seem a bit fidgety and Gavin is nesting. Nines doesn't realize he's been trying to court Gavin, and Gavin is just as oblivious.

or. They are both complete idiots the whole time

WING FIC WING FIC WING FIC!!!! Yall dont know how long I’ve looked for a reed900 wing fic. My homie @phckingusername out here doin God’s work <333

Thank you all so much for 1K!!! Being able to hop on Tumblr everyday and talk to you guys makes me so happy!! I really hope I didn't f up this rec list anywhere lol. Hope u guys like it!!

[ink-leaves]

Review: Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

Title: Gregor the Overlander

Author: Suzanne Collins

Genre: Children’s, Fiction, Middle Grade

Publish Date: May 1st, 2005 by Scholastic

Tarot Card Drawn: III of Pentacles

Star Rating: 3.5/5

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Few things are as satisfying as finishing something you have been meaning to do for a very long time. Reading this book is one of those things for me. In fact, the only thing that has taken me longer to accomplish was completing the first Kingdom Hearts game.

I did not know of this book’s existence until I think 5th grade, and even then I didn’t know the title. One day my friends and I were playing at recess on the basketball court. I don’t think we were even playing basketball, but some other game we had made up on the spot involving the use of the poles holding the hoops. If I went back to my old school, I could tell you exactly where we were standing. One of my closest friends said something, then immediately revised her statement with speech just like that of some of the creatures in The Underland. I think it was something along the lines of “Can I do ____, can I?” and she followed it up with “You know, like how the roaches speak!” I never found out what she was referring to, I only knew that it had roaches and a strange way of talking. Life went on. But I never forgot that memory, and it always pained me that I didn’t know what she was talking about. Coincidently, this same friend was also one of my biggest motivators for finishing Kingdom Hearts, because she had finished it and I had not (because I was terrible at it). It’s strange how significant people can affect your life in multiple ways; for much longer than we can anticipate as well.

Long story short, I finally found out what the book was thanks to a Reddit thread on children’s books that are dark in theme. It was baffling to find out the mystery after all those years. Then recently, a friend that was moving to another state gave me her copy after we had a discussion of our favorite books and this one came up. Thanks again girl!

Although I didn’t really get hooked to this book, until the ending when things really heat up, I did thoroughly enjoy the story and the ending. For that reason, I think three and a half stars is fitting. It didn’t blow me away but I didn’t find it unsatisfying at all. The story is very easy to read through, and once I got started on a reading session it was easy to keep going.

The world is very original and creative and was like nothing I have read before. Like the Reddit thread noted, it is very dark in nature compared to the majority of children’s books. There are scenes of battle, people get hurt, death is present. These themes are mature in nature but very well executed. I think for a child, this book could be the start of a great learning experience and conversation along with a parent.

The protagonist, Gregor, is relatable and realistic. His innocence shines, but only through a thick veil of responsibility that he has acquired since his father’s disappearance two years ago. He is mature, but not infallible. I particularly liked his relationship with his younger sister. It is very refreshing to see an older brother so full of care and concern for his baby sister. He is always concerned with her well-being and is diligent about taking care of her basic needs. Toting a toddler through The Underland is no small feat, and even though she adds an extra challenge to their journey I do not think there is one instance of him getting frustrated that he has to take care of her.

I am interested in picking up the rest of this series, although it will probably be some time before that happens. I am currently getting through other books that have been on my to-read list for far too long.

Final thoughts | This is a great series introduction to a very original and dark tale of perseverance. Similar to The Hunger Games, Collins’ amazing ability to write hope into such a dark landscape is something that I’ll always admire. Although it might be some time, I think I will get around to the rest of this series eventually. Also, between this, and Wall-E, I cannot ever harm another roach.

Favorite Quotes:

“And no one lives long in the Underland alone.”

“Hope,” said Vikus. “There are times it will be very hard to find. Times when it will be much easier to choose hate instead. But if you want to find peace, you must first be able to hope it is possible.”

[santiagoswagger]

these days my waves get lost in the ocean

A newly-minted sergeant, Amy struggles to leave her old job as a detective behind. Jake knows exactly what will help her move forward. 

Read it on ao3. 

Her pen flies through the air and hits the living room wall with a sharp clack before clattering unceremoniously to the floor.

Amy Santiago is frustrated, more frustrated even than when Marcia Grossman beat her (by a smidge) for high school valedictorian. She’s attempting to relax on the couch with the daily crossword puzzle after a long day at work, and it’s not going well, to say the least. She hasn’t had much time to puzzle it up lately; she’s been pretty all-consumed by work and trying to step into her new, challenging role as a supervisor. She figured she could jump right back into solving the crossword after a few days away without missing a beat, maybe even catch a typo or two, but reality is not living up to her sky-high expectations.

She throws the newspaper down on the coffee table and stews silently, secretly glad that Jake isn’t here to witness her small tantrum. He’s working through a string of burglaries that he’s so close to solving, so he’s spending his second night in a row at the precinct with Charles as they comb through leads and build the case. She’s excited for him – she loves how he throws himself into the job he loves with everything he has – but she can’t help but be slightly envious.

She loves being a sergeant and she’s thankful every day for the promotion, but working with the beat cops on the fourth floor, far away from the action she used to be in the thick of in the detectives’ bullpen, is harder than she ever could have imagined. Solving puzzles is something she’s loved ever since she was a little girl and her dad would let her climb on his lap to help him with the New York Times crossword each night before bedtime. The thrill of a well-earned solve gives her a rush of adrenaline unmatched by any form of exercise and she would be lying if she said she didn’t miss that part of her job. She only gets so much joy from handing out patrol shift assignments; shaping a schedule until it’s absolutely perfect just isn’t cutting it anymore.

She sighs and drags herself from the couch to retrieve the pen she carelessly cast aside, plopping it on top of the half-finished crossword on her way to bed. She doesn’t sleep well that night, missing Jake’s warmth and nostalgic for the past, allowing herself to wallow for the night.

Her feelings of inadequacy persist the next morning, however, much to her chagrin. So, she decides to break out her full arsenal: Sudoku books she ordered online straight from Japan, the big book of crosswords Rosa gave her last year for Christmas and an intricate ten-thousand-piece jigsaw of Monet’s garden that’s been sitting dormant in her closet for over a year. She spends her entire day off trying to finish something, anything, to no avail. Every time she gets stuck on one puzzle, she exchanges it for a new one, losing herself in a vicious, never-ending cycle.

When Jake arrives home that evening, exhausted beyond belief and eager to cuddle on the couch with his wife for the first time in two days, he’s greeted with the sight of said wife painstakingly sorting through a giant pile of puzzle pieces and swearing quietly to herself. Her hair is a mess of small braids and she has yet to change out of her pajamas even though it’s well past sundown – both blatant signs that Amy is headed for a full-on meltdown.

Jake sets his messenger bag down on one of the only dining chairs not obscured by jigsaw pieces and approaches with caution. “Hey, babe. What’s going on?”

She looks at him, startled, braids swinging wildly behind her. She smiles brightly when she sees it’s him. “Welcome home, babe! I missed you.”

He eyes the puzzles littering their dining room table and cocks a skeptical eyebrow. Next to the giant pile of puzzle pieces, Jake can see a stack of Sudoku books and a week’s worth of New York Times issues opened up to the daily crossword. “Are you sure? You look like you’ve been pretty busy without me.”

She flushes as she looks at the chaos surrounding her, as if she’s just now seeing it for the first time, and looks back at him sheepishly. “I may have gotten a little carried away.”

Jake immediately walks over to her and gently pulls her from the clutter towards the comfort of their couch so they’re sitting side-by-side. “Want to talk about what’s turned you into an episode of Hoarders? Ames, you haven’t stress-braided your hair in months.”

She looks at her puzzle pile across the room and back at him. His thumb swipes over her knuckles in a steady, soothing pattern and she feels the anxiety that’s been tightening around her heart for the past twenty-four hours begin to loosen with his touch.

She sighs. “It’s so stupid.”

“I bet it’s not,” he counters.

She takes a deep breath, the hand not clasped in his fidgeting with the hem of her old Academy t-shirt. “I love being a sergeant, you know that.” He nods, gaze firmly on hers. “I just – I miss being a detective, like way more than I thought I would. I guess I just wanted to feel like myself again, or my old self, so I thought solving a puzzle would help. But it’s been a day and I can’t seem to figure anything out, and maybe I’m never going to feel like me again.”

He squeezes her hand. “Babe, you’re still the same person you’ve always been, you’re just a little more badass now.” She scoffs. “I’m serious! Going from a detective to a sergeant is big and you’re still getting used to it, but not being able to put together a jigsaw puzzle doesn’t mean you aren’t you. Those things are insane – I’m pretty sure my mom has one half-finished in her attic from 1997.”

She laughs and burrows into his side. He wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer and softly kissing her temple. She looks up at him and says, “You’re right, I’m being ridiculous. I’m sure it’ll get easier the longer I’m in the job.”

He grins and rests his head on hers. “See? You’re already starting to sound like the Amy I know and love.”

The next night, they’re side-by-side in their tiny kitchen, chatting about their days and unloading their Chinese takeout for dinner. Now that they don’t work directly across from one another anymore, they’ve found that they have so much to say to each other once 5 PM rolls around.“

Has Jennings stopped inviting you to join his book club yet?” Jake takes the mushu pork out its plastic bag confines and moves to the cabinet to retrieve some plates. Amy refuses to eat directly out of takeout containers and he’s been banned from doing so since the tzatziki-sauce-and-throw-pillow incident of 2016.

Amy, pulling silverware from the drawer next to him, groans. “Oh god, no. I keep telling him that it’s inappropriate for us to hang out after work but I think I might just have to tell him that I’m busy on Wednesday nights so he’ll stop.” Jake chuckles; Gary is such an Amy, it hurts.

They move their food to the dining table. “Anyway, how was your day? Did you and Charles make any progress on the burglaries?”

“No, we can’t prove Walsh was at the second crime scene so I think we’ve officially hit a wall.” He angrily stuffs a piece of fried shrimp into his mouth before pausing to chew thoughtfully, watching his wife as she neatly spoons herself some fried rice.

He swallows and quickly puts down his fork. “Actually, Charles and I were thinking it might be good to get another set of eyes on the case. Would you want to take a look? I can show you the files tomorrow at the precinct.”

She stops loading her plate with food and stares at him. “Jake, I shouldn’t. You’re going to solve it; you’ve just hit a rut.”

“So have you,” he counters. She sighs and fixes him with a disbelieving glare. “I mean it, Ames, you’re the smartest person I know. Please take a look at the case files? For me?” He twists his face into an exaggerated puppy-dog pout – his secret weapon.

Amy tries to fight the smile forcing its way onto her face but fails miserably. “Fine,” she says. “I’ll take a look at them tomorrow if I have time.”

Jake pumps his fist in victory, but Amy knows her husband. His memory is worse than a goldfish’s; chances are, he’ll forget all about her concession and she’ll be off the hook.

However, when Amy returns to her desk after her daily briefing the next morning, she finds a thick case file labeled ‘Walsh’ nestled on her keyboard that wasn’t there before. Jake must have snuck upstairs and left it for her knowing she wouldn’t take a look unless forced. She sighs and shuffles it to the side of her desk so she can start on her pile of paperwork.

She works diligently for the next hour before she can’t concentrate any longer, the manila folder taunting her from her right. She hauls it in front of her and opens it, her first case file in over six months. She inhales the familiar folder smell and revels in the feeling of looking through the fragments of a complex case. She spends the next two hours rifling through crime scene photos, alibis and witness statements, thrilled and excited by the familiarity of it all.

For the first hour, she’s completely stumped. David Walsh, the main suspect, can be tied in some small way to every Park Slope jewelry store burglary in the last month – except for one. His alibi for the second burglary is airtight and officers weren’t able to recover any DNA at the scene. Knowing from personal experience that DNA isn’t completely infallible, Amy turns her attention to the security camera feeds.

In most of the burglaries, the cameras had been turned off before the thefts occurred, but they were left on in the second store. Maybe Walsh was trying to throw authorities off his scent by breaking the pattern. Pouncing on that thought, Amy loads the feed from the second store on her computer and quickly sifts through footage from the night of the break-in. She notices almost immediately that the camera’s viewpoint shifts ever-so-slightly over the span of a few hours until it faces the wall. This had to have been an inside job; only an employee would have had access to the security feeds. Thirty minutes of meticulous research proves that David Walsh’s former brother-in-law works at the jewelry store and has a shaky alibi for the night in question.

Amy stares at her notes for a moment in disbelief, adrenaline pumping through her bloodstream. She sprints downstairs with her notes and quite literally runs into her husband at the elevators.

“Jake, Walsh’s brother-in-law – “

Jake gently cuts her off. “Take a look in the holding cell.”

Amy, bewildered, turns to look and, sure enough, David Walsh is scowling in the holding cell, right next to his former brother-in-law turned partner-in-crime.

Her jaw drops and she turns back to her husband, who’s smiling her favorite close-lipped smile, eyes twinkling. That’s when it dawns on her.

She narrows her eyes at him. “You knew Walsh had been working with his brother-in-law when you left me the file.”

He tries but fails to hold in a laugh. “I did. Charles and I cracked it this morning.”

She’s speechless for a minute, irritation and confusion clouding her thoughts. She could have been working ahead on paperwork or checking in with her squad in the field, but instead she spent her entire morning working through a closed case. “Why did you leave it for me then?”

He gently grabs her shoulders and smiles down at her, and she briefly marvels at their slight height difference, more apparent now that she can’t wear her heeled boots to work. “Ames, you solved a puzzle! Just because you’re not a detective anymore doesn’t mean you aren’t still you. Now, you can go back to kicking ass as a sergeant without beating yourself up for leaving your old job behind.”

Amy kind of wants to cry but that would be extremely unprofessional in the workplace, so she flings her arms around him instead, feeling his arms clasp tightly around her back in return. “Thank you,” she says, voice muffled by his leather jacket. “You’re the best husband I’ve ever had.”

“Right back at you, Ames.”

[iancny]

Quilotoa Lagoon

After the Amazon we went back to Quito for a few days to reacclimate to the higher altitude before we went still higher into the Andes to Quilotoa. We stayed in another part of the city, La Carolina, the most modern and commercial part of the city we’d seen. Every building looked to have been built in the last 10-15 years. There was obviously a larger concentration of foreigners there. For perspective, our Airbnb condo was located between Bayer pharmaceutical and Huawei offices. Cat and I agreed that if the neighborhood reminded us of any city we’d been to before, Toronto was the closest.

Views in La Carolina, Quito

Before the trek to Quilotoa we spent one night in Latacunga and stored our bigger bags to cut down on weight before the hike. The next morning we took a bus to Sigchos, ate a $2.75 almuerzos (set lunch), and started walking.

Day 1

The first day wasn’t so bad. An easy, largely level start, the uphills didn’t come till the afternoon, which unfortunately came the same time as the rain, but it never got too heavy. We got into Isinlivi in the early evening and had dinner with a trio of hikers from Paris, Belarus, and Brazil, one of whom were celebrating their birthday.

Day 2

The second day’s climbs might have been a little tougher, but it was more dry, so maybe a little easier on the whole. We left early, moved at our own comfortable pace and made it in about 7 hours I think.

The views all along were out of this world. Clouds and peaks, and rivers, and cliffs, and valleys, and wildlife, and farmland, and dirt roads. Pictures do a better job-

On our longest uphill that day an Andean woman passed us while we were taking a break. She had ordinary flat women’s shoes on and walked very slowly, taking 4 or 5 small steps at a time, pausing for about 5 seconds every 20 to 30 seconds. All the while with her hands were busy working on some string project, knot after knot, maybe it was a bracelet. She kept moving and never appeared to be struggling. Afterward we adopted her “Andean woman” style for ourselves on the long uphills.

That evening we stayed at Cloud Forest Hostal in Chugchilán. Same price as the night before: $15 each for the bed, dinner, and breakfast in the morning. And we’re talking hot hearty meals. The owners were so kind and helpful too. Without fail all the Ecuadorians we encountered along the trek were so kind.

Again we had dinner with the same trekkers we’d had the night before. We started talking some politics. I talked about Bernie, Biden, Yang, etc. The Belorussian girl, Dasha, talked about how poor the situation in her home country had become, and how to be safe she planned to fly back to Moscow and cross the land border into Belarus. She’d been traveling for a few months already, which she thought could make her vulnerable to some arbitrary accusation of being a spy. Being jailed without cause was a real fear of hers that she hoped she could avoid by returning to Belarus via the friendly land border from Russia rather than an international flight.

The Brazilian guy, Daniel, had been working as an investment banker in Paris the last few years. So I asked both him and Lucille, a native Parisian, what they thought of Marine Le Pen? They said they were more fearful of her son. I asked what they thought of Macron? Lucille said she did not have a strong opinion one way or another, but that maybe he was a hypocrite sometimes. At this point I said something along the lines of, “Do you say that because he‘s a banker, and a banker couldn’t possibly be a real advocate of the people?” She knowingly nodded and we both laughed as we looked over at Daniel. (I shortly after apologized to him for the comment.) Daniel quickly picked up the torch though, and as it turned out he knew him personally — he had worked with Macron before! Daniel sang his praises as to how smart Macron was, how hard working and kind, and he attested that through and through Macron was the genuine article of a true liberal. I listened and nodded with Daniel, and very much enjoyed to hear his perspective, but I don’t think his appeal changed the mind of Lucille or myself.

Day 3

This is the day that did us in. We got off to a later start because of how sore and exhausted we both were. We kept it moving on dirt roads, up narrow and broad paths past grazing animals, switchback on overgrown hillsides, through tiny nothing villages with a church, an empty tienda, stray dogs and kids mulling about.

About midday, coming down into a valley before crossing a river, a few sections of our path were washed out due to recent landslides. All that was left was a precipitous edge and some vegetation to cling too. Knowing Cat’s fear of heights, I wanted to push ahead without much delay, before we had the chance to worry much. And ultimately we made it over without any issue. Three portions total were as such. Afterwards I told Cat if there were any more parts as bad or worse than that we should just turn back. Wasn’t worth the risk.

A path that washed away

We kept on, on, on, up, up, up, and about a half hour before reaching the ridge around the lake the rain started coming. We covered up as best we could and made it on to the top. Anticlimactically, the big prize viewpoint was mostly obscured by the clouds, and the rain that had started coming shortly before kept on coming and coming.

Reaching the top

We paused for 10 minutes or so to see if the rain would slow, but no luck. With concern for daylight running out, we shortly left from the viewpoint canopy to finish the last leg of our hike. Again, because of the clouds and fog, and because of the multiple paths, our way forward was a little unclear. We both agreed to stay left, which soon descended us into the bowl around the lake. It was another treacherous path with a lot of slippery rock face and compacted dirt and precipitous drops. With the heights, the rain, and the severe exertion Cat was finding the day thoroughly disagreeable at this point! To think of all the research we’d done online for the hike, and some people had attested *anyone* could do the hike — we could both call that as a gross misrepresentation at this point. I know memory is not infallible, but I didn’t remember the hike to Everest Base Camp being so hard.

Not what we’d expected

We kept moving forward-forward though. To turn back for a different path would have set us back too much time. Daylight was limited. Eventually we came upon a small waterfall that totally perplexed us. The cherry on top of our challenges. We couldn’t even visualize it well because of all the overgrowth.

We again had to consider turning back. We climbed up the banks to see if we could more easily cross higher up — didn’t look promising. Ultimately we decided the only way over it was into it! We climbed down into the water so we could scale the rocks the water was washing over. Mind you it continued raining the whole time too.

9 hours later after starting that morning we stumbled into the first guesthouse that would take us, two bone-soaked, entirely spent gringos. The family was so gracious. Real Andean people—all the women wore the fine bright knits and always kept their felt hats on. We explained our plight to the family’s son Manuel, who had the best English, but still not much. We told him the route we’d taken and he laughed and shook his head. We told him how long it took and he looked at us in awe. “That’s two trips!” he said.

We went back to Latacunga in the morning and rested. The following day we tried some different street foods, walked around the city more, and planned the remainder of our time. I was able to get the Andean delicacy Cuy (roasted guinea pig) for our last meal before leaving the Andes.

Cuy

[theartofdreaming1]

Thank you so much, @backtothestart02, for tagging me! 💕

Rules: Answer 30 questions and tag 20 people.

Nickname(s): Vicky Gender: Female Sign: Libra Height: about 5′8 Time: 02:02 A.M. Birthday:  October 19th Favorite Bands: Hmm, I’m usually more the type of person who listens to a couple of songs or maybe just one or two albums... but I love the Lumineers, Florence + the Machine and I always enjoy listening to the Killers, the Kinks and Queen Favorite Solo Artists: Same goes for solo artists ^^; but I really like listening to P!nk, Hozier and Joanna Newsom (I’m probably forgetting so many artists right now, whoops ^^;) Last movie I watched: The Hunger Games Last show I watched: I recently marathoned Once Upon A Time, season 1-3 When did I create this blog: I think around January 2013 What do I post: various things; stuff about books, comic books, my favorite movies and shows... and my fanart and fanfiction ^^ What did I last Google: subjective workload assessment technique (for my research internship) Other blogs: None (one is more than enough for me to keep track of) Do I get asks: Sometimes :) Why did I choose this URL: My best friend, @headcase-actress came up with that one (because I’m awful when it comes to creating aliases) for my deviantart account back when we were in 10th grade... and I love it, so I decided to use it for my tumblr as well (although I had to add a “1″ because the other one was already taken) Following: 102 Followers: 188 Average hours of sleep: Around 5-7 hours, depending on how early I have to get up (since I’m a true night owl) Lucky number: don’t really have one... maybe 19? Instrument: The piano! Since the second/third grade (I don’t remember anymore). When I was in 5th-10th grade I had to play at my school (being graded on playing takes the fun out of everything, ugh), after that I only played every once in a while, but for about two years I’m trying to play almost every day again (if a piano is available and I find the time), even if it’s just to play the couple of songs I can sight-read ^^ What am I wearing: my pajamas (because I should be in bed by now ^^;), consisting of plaid pants and a shirt Dream job: maybe a writer? I’m still figuring that one out Favorite Food: Pizza and mac’n’cheese... and apples (this list needed something healthy - but I really do love apples ;) Last book I read: Yesterday I read ‘The Hunger Games’ from start to finish (I’m in the middle of the second book right now) and before that ‘Investigating Lois Lane’ by Tim Hanley 3 favorite fandoms: The Brooklyn Nine-Nine fandom and the Flash/Westallen fandom are the only ones I’m actually involved in and they are filled with lots of nice people :)

I tag @headcase-actress , @hotelsweet, @sergeant-santiago, @b99peraltiago, @inksmudge , @speedforcelesbian, @okayokaycoolcoolcool, @grabetsi, @infallible-dreamers, @jakelovesamy, @stressful-and-deathy, @thats-so-haiven, @the-pontiac-bandit, @bitchinjanes, @luanna801, @bannedbookreader, @stevi92, @amysantiagone, @brookesmusings and @missysaysus if they want to, and anyone else who feels like doing this :)

[junker-town]

The top 5 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidates, ranked

Raiders running back Josh Jacobs is the 2019 NFL Rookie of the Year frontrunner.

This isn’t a stacked group compared to recent years, but one player has stood above the others.

It hasn’t been a banner year for game-breaking rookies. The 2019 crop of offensive players hasn’t produced a star like Baker Mayfield or Saquon Barkley the year before. No one is hurtling toward a spot on All-Pro teams like Alvin Kamara, Ezekiel Elliott, or Todd Gurley in the recent past.

One player has risen above the fray to stand as the top choice for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, however. Raiders tailback Josh Jacobs has been vital to his franchise’s rebuild, giving Derek Carr a 1,000-yard rusher to take pressure off his passing game. While he’s a safe bet to take home the award — DraftKings currently lists him as a -400 favorite — there’s still a chance his spot gets usurped in the final two weeks of the season.

Who could make a final, furious push to challenge Jacobs’ status as rookie of the year favorite? There are a few contenders to the Raider’s presumed throne. Let’s talk about them.

(If you’re wondering who’s up for Defensive Rookie of the Year, we’ve got the rankings right here.)

5. Terry McLaurin, Washington

This spot could belong to DK Metcalf, Miles Sanders, or Devin Singletary in a pinch, but let’s give McLaurin his due for shining in the midst of a bad situation. Washington’s continued streak of dysfunction remained unchallenged in 2019, leaving the former Ohio State wideout to catch passes from three different quarterbacks: Case Keenum, Colt McCoy, and rookie Dwayne Haskins.

McLaurin leads all rookie wideouts and tight ends in receiving yards per game and has been targeted more than any other first-year player but Metcalf. A big part of that is thanks to Washington’s awful roster — because come on, who else is there to throw to? — but it also highlights the rookie’s strength. Opponents have adjusted to McLaurin’s rise as the team’s top receiving option, and he’s still found a way to gash defenses.

TERRY MCLAURIN! Unreal one-handed touchdown grab. #HTTR : #WASvsGB on FOX : NFL app // Yahoo Sports app Watch free on mobile: https://t.co/D5AfU98qAh pic.twitter.com/OaLLDL51Ad

— NFL (@NFL) December 8, 2019

In Week 15, he caught all five of the passes thrown his way for 130 yards and a touchdown against Philadelphia’s foundering secondary. He also became the only rookie receiver in franchise history with three 100+ yard games where he also found the end zone. He finished his season with 919 receiving yards in 14 games — second-most among all rookies this fall.

Key stat: Washington’s quarterbacks have a combined 83.0 passer rating this fall. When they’re targeting McLaurin, that number spikes to 115.8. No wonder he’s getting so many looks.

t-3. Gardner Minshew, Jaguars

Oh cool, another bad situation! Minshew upped his rookie QB credentials by snapping Jacksonville’s five-game losing streak and ruining Oakland’s farewell to the Raiders in one fell swoop. He seemed to enjoy crushing the Bay Area’s collective heart as well.

"Saw more middle fingers today than I have in my whole life. They have a good time man, it was fun to ruin that for them" Gardner Minshew with some HEAT after the game#Jaguars pic.twitter.com/QyhwKpRR6x

— Ben Murphy (@BenMurphyTV) December 16, 2019

The 2019 sixth-round pick outplayed Nick Foles to regain his starting job and has been the man behind center for all six of the Jags’ wins this season. And though he hasn’t maintained the early-season breakout that once put him atop our offensive rookie rankings, he’s been good enough to inspire at least *some* confidence in Jacksonville’s eternally cursed quarterback situation going forward.

More importantly, he’s calmed the turnover woes that haunted him early in the season. He turned the ball over 11 times in his first nine games, but cut drastically into that rate since regaining his starting role (two interceptions, zero fumbles lost in his final five games). Even if Minshew Mania may have died down as the season wore on, the mustachioed signal caller has proven he can be an above-average option.

Key stat: Minshew’s 91.2 passer rating is tops among rookie QBs, as are his 7.3 adjusted yards per pass.

t-3. Kyler Murray, Cardinals

The reigning No. 1 overall pick has had his share of struggles behind an overwhelmed offensive line that’s allowed him to be sacked on nearly nine percent of his dropbacks. Still, Murray has improved significantly as the season progressed.

Though he’s been roughly league average as a passer, he hasn’t been tasked with doing much downfield in Kliff Kingsbury’s spread offense. Murray has averaged just 6.8 yards per target through the air, a mark that ranks between Minshew and Case Keenum toward the bottom of this year’s list of starting QBs. That’s a departure from his more freewheeling Oklahoma days, but it’s also an indictment against his receiving corps — after Christian Kirk and a 36-year-old Larry Fitzgerald, there aren’t any other reliable downfield threats in the lineup.

That should improve as his wideouts level up. The more intriguing piece of his game, however, may be his running presence. Murray carved up the Browns for 58 yards in a 38-24 upset win in Week 15 and gave the 49ers headaches in both of their meetings.

Seeing stars @K1 puts us back in the lead! pic.twitter.com/ifYHifGs9z

— Arizona Cardinals ⋈ (@AZCardinals) November 17, 2019

He also ran for 40 yards (and threw for only 118) in an upset win over the Seahawks in Week 16. While he’s not infallible on the ground — he had four games with fewer than 20 yard rushing — he’s shown off the chops to devastate defenses outside the pocket. His performances over the last half of the season would put him on pace for a 550-yard, four-touchdown season.

Those aren’t Lamar Jackson numbers (nothing is), but it’s a good start from a player who has made a hopeless situation in Arizona a little more palatable.

Key stat: 19:8. That’s the ratio of total touchdowns to turnovers Murray’s had since Week 5. That’s not stellar, but it’s an encouraging sign for an Arizona team that got just 11 touchdowns and 19 interceptions and lost fumbles from Josh Rosen in 2018.

2. A.J. Brown, Titans

Brown may be the league’s most exciting young deep threat; the Tennessee rookie has had four different games in which he’s averaged more than 30 yards per catch.

The 226-pound wideout is equal parts fast and tough to bring down. Brown was useful to start the season, but his pro career didn’t really take off until he was paired with a resurgent Ryan Tannehill.

Here’s how his game changed when head coach Mike Vrabel made the decision to bench Marcus Mariota and roll with Tannehill instead.

Brown with Mariota at quarterback (six games): 3.8 targets, 2.3 catches, and 45.5 yards per game, 11.9 yards per target, 2 TDs

Brown with Tannehill at quarterback (10 regular season games): 6.1 targets, 3.8 catches, and 77.8 yards per game, 12.8 yards per target, 6 TDs

With Tannehill, Brown’s been the full season equivalent of a 1,200-yard, 10-touchdown receiver. The veteran quarterback has a 126.6 rating when targeting his rookie safety net. Those are WR1 numbers for a franchise that’s been looking for a true top wideout since the days of Derrick Mason.

Key stat: No player in the league is averaging more yards-after-catch than the former Ole Miss star. He has tacked only nearly nine full yards, per SIS, after hauling in the ball. Unsurprisingly, nearly 75 percent of his completions have resulted in first downs.

1. Josh Jacobs, Raiders

Jacobs missed three games this season due to injury and still finished with 1,150 rushing yards. The next-closest rookie was Bears running back David Montgomery at 889 (in 16 games). That’s a pretty big gap!

The former Alabama star has vaulted past DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard to the top of Oakland’s rotation, taking up nearly two-thirds of the team’s carries in the process. He’s averaged 7.5 yards per carry on runs outside the tackle box and has broken more tackles than all but two other running backs (Chris Carson and Derrick Henry).

There are still drawbacks to his game. He’s failed to add much value as a receiver. Jacobs has averaged fewer than two catches per game, almost all of which have come in screen situations — his average target depth is a full yard behind the line of scrimmage. He’s never had more than 30 receiving yards in a game and his 6.1 yards per target is more than two yards less than Eagles rookie running back Miles Sanders.

He hasn’t needed to be a linebacker-killing wheel route machine, because the Raiders have two other backs who can catch passes. What Oakland needed him to be is a high-usage grinder, and Jacobs has filled that role with aplomb. Unless something absurd happens over the final two weeks of the season, he’s your offensive rookie of the year.

Key stat: 3.0. Jacobs has been a beast in traffic — his 3.0 yards after contact are more than Dalvin Cook or Alvin Kamara in 2019. The first man on the scene rarely brings him down.

[entergamingxp]

Persona 5 Royal review – both better and worse than the original • Eurogamer.net

It’s a great intro: protagonist Joker darting along the casino roof, quick like a shadow. Making fast work of a handful of enemies while leaving others in the dust, his black coat swishing behind him. The excited voices of his team mates over the intercom as he’s almost reached his goal, but then! Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal! He’s surrounded!

Persona 5 Royal review

Developer: Atlus/P Studio

Publisher: Atlus/Sega

Platform: Reviewed on PS4

Availability: Out now on PS4

The first sequence of Persona 5 Royal acts as foreshadowing and tutorial all wrapped up in one, showing you everything you will regularly be doing in each dungeon you crawl through – jumping between platforms and squeezing through ducts to find a way forward, hiding away from enemies or ambushing them when they’re not looking. Most importantly, in round-based combat you unleash Persona, manifestations of parts of Joker’s psyche who can use different elemental attacks, healing spells and stat buffs. Persona 5 Royal also adds a grappling hook to your arsenal, which you’ll mostly use to find shortcuts and additional treasure.

Joker and his friends, regular students at Shujin Academy in Tokyo, one day stumble into the Metaverse, a parallel reality that manifests Palaces where people live out their worst desires. There’s also Mementos, a sprawling maze of randomly generated dungeons. The group of high schoolers enter these palaces to steal people’s treasures, causing them to let go of harmful desires and confess their crimes.

Persona 5 Royal brands itself as the definitive version of the game, and introduces an extensive list of improvements – if you’ve played Persona 5 before, you’ll definitely notice how P-Studio worked to fix a few common gripes. New items help in combat, such as talismans that buff several stats at once, more food and drink that replenishes SP and many new accessories, among them rings you can put on your team members so they can use spells they normally don’t have access to.

You can form bonds with two new characters, first-year gymnast Kasumi Yoshizawa and school counsellor Takuto Maruki. Scenes with both are sprinkled in throughout the main story, while an all-new storyline after the main game focuses completely on them. New bonds mean there’s new Persona to catch and new abilities to gain from becoming friends, too.

Speaking of abilities – Persona 5 Royal introduces a really cool new special attack that unlocks as the story progresses. Called Showtime, it’s a powerful attack that unlocks when an enemy is almost finished or you’re really struggling. Two friends in your group will pair off and start a short, eye-popping sequence that briefly takes you elsewhere. They’re really difficult to describe if you haven’t seen them – Haru and Makoto for example start a WWE Smackdown double attack, and Ryuji and Yusuke start a saloon shootout when the enemy rudely interrupts Yusuke feeding Ryuji some ginger-laden donburi. It’ll all make some kind of distant sense when you see it, I promise.

The improvements aren’t all combat-focused, either. Thanks to a wealth of additional options, you’ll find it easier to raise your social stats, and if you time things right it will now only take you a single playthrough to max out every confidant. To justify adding even more content to an already meaty game, the palaces are now shorter, mostly because the layout of each has been streamlined to include fewer rooms, and some puzzles have also been shortened. Notably, you can now collect Will Seeds in each dungeon, manifestations of a palace ruler’s driving feeling. If you collect three seeds and take them to Jose, a small boy who hangs out in Mementos, you gain a powerful, otherwise inaccessible ability.

Gymnast Kasumi appears sporadically throughout the main game, to experience her full story you have to finish that first.

There’s more stuff, but the important question is, does it make Persona 5, an already universally lauded game, any better? Honestly, and I’m making my best Robert DeNiro face while I say this: meh.

When I played the original Persona 5, a handful of things detracted from my overall immense enjoyment – the treatment of some of its characters, the difficulty, which to me felt pretty easy, and the length of the game. It wasn’t just the number of hours, which was colossal, but how long they could feel.

If you’re plugged into the discussion that surrounded Persona 5, you know that certain parts of its plot didn’t land that well: a storyline in which your friend Ann is supposed to pose as a nude model, and a bit where your characters meet a couple of gay men. Atlus West requested the latter be changed, but to me it’s an absolute non-change that while no longer suggesting the abduction of minors, still finds ample opportunity to stereotype gay men. Small mercies, I suppose.

The way Ann is treated is equally off-putting to me, but it’s just part of your standard grab bag of misogyny in Japanese games, so of course that would remain unchanged. Don’t get me wrong, I love Persona 5 a lot, and I recognise that the opportunity for change is limited if you don’t want to downright cut content, but Royal does nothing to fix its larger problem: you get to meet a group of characters that’s perfectly adorable in their own right, but it’s constantly suggested they would be nothing without you.

The Velvet Room now offers battles where you earn battles for particular efficiency.

Persona 5 Royal puts its own characters down – it’s frequently suggested that Ann is a bit of dumb blonde, Yusuke is just weird, Makoto is too uptight, but you’re here to change their lives. P5R adds instances of queer-baiting to the mix, not letting you date your male team members, but putting you in intimate situations with them all the same. Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal take the power fantasy to whole new levels, making sure to call the protagonist, and by extension the player, awe-inspiring, a hero, a leader, whenever the opportunity presents itself. I find the idea of being near-infallible pretty tiring.

This leads me to the combat. I’m confident in telling you to start Royal on Hard if you’ve played Persona 5 before. Royal also comes with two modes that lock you into your chosen difficulty, Safe and Merciless. You now have so many additional abilities and items that I think the standard game is way too easy, and can feel like going through the motions. Boss fights have been retooled with new segments to fit the narrative better, but the balance feels off – overall I enjoyed the fights, but I had trouble with some that had never bothered me before, while others seemed too easy given how far into the game I was.

The last point on my list however, is perhaps one of the most common complaints about Persona 5. I’m pretty happy how on normal difficulty there’s never been a reason to mindlessly grind, even though in essence that’s what Mementos is for. Grinding isn’t what turns Persona 5 Royal into a game of over 100 hours – it’s how characters review and re-review even the most basic information ad nauseum. It’s how you might not want to spend the next four hours driving around in Mementos, but you have to, since it’s a plot requirement. It’s how the game heavily cheats you by suggesting not once, not twice but three times that this is definitely the last battle and the world will be saved any minute now.

The additions here make all of that worse. Absolutely no one I’ve ever talked to said “you know what Persona 5 needs? Another palace. And I also really want to spend more time in Mementos”, yet that’s exactly what you get. To make the plot additions work at all, it needs a massive leap of faith that undermines pretty much everything you’ve done until this point, and it’s so frustrating. After a truly epic finale, another villain simply takes the place of the last. It’s the same principle that often makes movie sequels so grating – the victory you’ve just had was for nothing. For a game that frequently tells you the exact opposite, to stay true to your ideals and keep fighting even when others think it’s pointless, this is especially disheartening.

You use the grappling hook seldomly but to great effect. Wheee!

Without wanting to spoil anything, the new villain does have interesting motives, but they’re the sole upside of a storyline that asks you twice to have the same conversation six times in a row, and that gives you a palace where you fight three new enemies over and over, one of them several consecutive times. The way it is, the new story content feels a bit tacked on, despite giving you the option to keep working on your Social Stats and links – it feels like a DLC. This is an additional month of in-game time, relating to something that’s only alluded to in bits and pieces throughout the main game. It might be fun if you come back to Persona 5 after several months, but put at the end of the main storyline like that, it just makes you wait for it to be over.

If you’ve never played Persona 5, thanks to much of the optimisation this is certainly a safe bet. But Persona 5 Royal doesn’t so much feel like a definitive edition and rather a game made for fans who get excited about collectibles like the Will Seeds or additional Persona, or who are thirsting for new interactions with characters like the twins, who were previously largely neglected. Sadly it doesn’t add enough to justify another playthrough.

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/03/persona-5-royal-review-both-better-and-worse-than-the-original-%e2%80%a2-eurogamer-net/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=persona-5-royal-review-both-better-and-worse-than-the-original-%25e2%2580%25a2-eurogamer-net

[meekspaceng]

Criticism of Jehovah's Witnesses:

Doctrinal criticisms

Failed predictions[edit source]

Main article: Watch Tower Society unfulfilled predictions

See also: Eschatology of Jehovah's Witnesses

The beliefs unique to Jehovah's Witnesses involve their interpretations of the second coming of Christ, the millennium and the kingdom of God. Watch Tower Society publications have made, and continue to make, predictions about world events they believe were prophesied in the Bible.[1] Some of those early predictions were described as "established truth",[2] and 'beyond a doubt'.[3]Witnesses are told to 'be complete in accepting the visible organization's direction in every aspect' and that there is no need to question what God tells them through his Word and organization since love "believes all things."[4][5][6] If a member advocates views different to what appears in print, they face expulsion.[7][8][9]

Failed predictions that were either explicitly stated or strongly implied, particularly linked to dates in 1914, 1915, 1918, 1925 and 1975, have led to the alteration or abandonment of some teachings. The Society's publications have at times suggested that members had previously "read into the Watch Towerstatements that were never intended"[10] or that the beliefs of members were "based on wrong premises."[11] According to Professor Edmond Gruss, other failed predictions were ignored, and replaced with new predictions; for example, in the book, The Finished Mystery (1917), events were applied to the years 1918 to 1925 that earlier had been held to occur prior to 1914. When the new interpretations also did not transpire, the 1926 edition of the book changed the statements and removed the dates.[12]

Raymond Franz, a former member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, has cited publications that claimed God has used Jehovah's Witnesses as a collective prophet.[13] Professor James A. Beverley, along with others, has accused the movement of false prophecy for making those predictions, particularly because of assertions in some cases that the predictions were beyond doubt or had been approved by God, but describes its record of telling the future as "pathetic".[14][15][16][17] Beverley says the Watch Tower Society has passed judgment on others who have falsely predicted the end of the world (he cites a 1968 Awake! article that says other groups were "guilty of false prophesying" after having "predicted an 'end to the world', even announcing a specific date").[18][19]

The Watch Tower Society rejects accusations that it is a false prophet.[20][21] It admits its explanations of Bible prophecy are not infallible[22][23][24][25] and that its predictions are not claimed explicitly as "the words of Jehovah."[20] It states that some of its expectations have needed adjustment because of eagerness for God's kingdom, but that those adjustments are no reason to "call into question the whole body of truth."[26] Raymond Franz claims that the Watch Tower Society tries to evade its responsibility when citing human fallibility as a defense, adding that the Society represents itself as God's appointed spokesman, and that throughout its history has made many emphatic predictions. Franz adds that the organization's eagerness for the Millennium does not give it license to impugn the motives of those who fail to accept its predictions.[6]

George D. Chryssides has suggested widespread claims that Witnesses "keep changing the dates" are a distortion and misunderstanding of Watch Tower Society chronology. He argues that, although there have been failures in prophetic speculation, the changing views and dates of the Jehovah's Witnesses are more largely attributable to changed understandings of biblical chronology than to failed predictions. Chryssides states, "For the Jehovah’s Witnesses prophecy serves more as a way of discerning a divine plan in human history than a means to predicting the future."[27]

Predictions (by date of publication) include:

1877: Christ's kingdom would hold full sway over the earth in 1914; the Jews, as a people, would be restored to God's favor; the "saints" would be carried to heaven.[28]

1891: 1914 would be "the farthest limit of the rule of imperfect men."[29]

1904: "World-wide anarchy" would follow the end of the Gentile Times in 1914.[30]

1916: World War I would terminate in Armageddon and the rapture of the "saints".[31]

1917: In 1918, Christendom would go down as a system to oblivion and be succeeded by revolutionary governments. God would "destroy the churches wholesale and the church members by the millions." Church members would "perish by the sword of war, revolution and anarchy." The dead would lie unburied. In 1920 all earthly governments would disappear, with worldwide anarchy prevailing.[32]

1920: Messiah's kingdom would be established in 1925 and bring worldwide peace. God would begin restoring the earth. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and other faithful patriarchs would be resurrected to perfect human life and be made princes and rulers, the visible representatives of the New Order on earth. Those who showed themselves obedient to God would never die.[33]

1922: The anti-typical "jubilee" that would mark God's intervention in earthly affairs would take place "probably the fall" of 1925.[34]

1925: God's restoration of Earth would begin "shortly after" October 1, 1925. Jerusalem would be made the world's capital. Resurrected "princes" such as Abel, Noah, Moses and John the Baptist would give instructions to their subjects around the world by radio, and airplanes would transport people to and from Jerusalem from all parts of the globe in just "a few hours".[35]

1938: Armageddon was too close for marriage or child bearing.[36]

1941: There were only "months" remaining until Armageddon.[37]

1942: Armageddon was "immediately before us."[38]

1961: Awake! magazine stated that Armageddon "will come in the twentieth century. ... This generation will see its fulfillment."[39]

1966: It would be 6000 years since man's creation in the fall of 1975 and it would be "appropriate" for Christ's thousand-year reign to begin at that time.[40] Time was "running out, no question about that."[41] The "immediate future" was "certain to be filled with climactic events ... within a few years at most", the final parts of Bible prophecy relating to the "last days" would undergo fulfillment as Christ's reign began.

1967: The end-time period (beginning in 1914) was claimed to be so far advanced that the time remaining could "be compared, not just to the last day of a week, but rather, to the last part of that day".[42]

1968: No one could say "with certainty" that the battle of Armageddon would begin in 1975, but time was "running out rapidly" with "earthshaking events" soon to take place.[43] In March 1968 there was a "short period of time left", with "only about ninety months left before 6000 years of man's existence on earth is completed".[44]

1969: The existing world order would not last long enough for young people to grow old; the world system would end "in a few years." Young Witnesses were told not to bother pursuing tertiary education for this reason.[45]

1971: The "battle in the day of Jehovah" was described as beginning "[s]hortly, within our twentieth century".[46]

1974: There was just a "short time remaining before the wicked world's end" and Witnesses were commended for selling their homes and property to "finish out the rest of their days in this old system in the pioneer service."[47]

1984: There were "many indications" that "the end" was closer than the end of the 20th century.[48]

1989: The Watchtower asserted that Christian missionary work begun in the first century would "be completed in our 20th century".[49] When the magazine was republished in bound volumes, the phrase "in our 20th century" was replaced with the less specific "in our day".

Changes of Doctrine

See also: Development of Jehovah's Witnesses doctrine

History of Eschatological Doctrine Last Days begin Start of Christ's Presence Christ made King Resurrection of 144,000 Judgment of Religion Separating Sheep & Goats Great Tribulation 1879–1920 1799 1874 1878 during Millennium 1914, 1915, 1918, 1920 1920–1923 1914 1878 1878 1925 1923–1925 during Christ's presence 1925–1927 within generation of 1914 1927–1929 1918 1929–1930 1914 1930–1966 1914 1919 1966–1975 1975? 1975–1995 within generation of 1914 1995–present during Great Tribulation imminent

Although Watch Tower Society literature claims the Society's founder, Charles Taze Russell, was directed by God's Holy Spirit, through which he received "flashes of light",[50] it has substantially altered doctrines since its inception and abandoned many of Russell's teachings.[51] Many of the changes have involved biblical chronology that had earlier been claimed as beyond question.[52][53][54][55][56] The Watch Towerasserted in 1922: "We affirm that Scripturally, scientifically, and historically, present-truth chronology is correct beyond a doubt." (italics in original).[57] Watch Tower Society publications state that doctrinal changes result from a process of "progressive revelation", in which God gradually reveals his will.[58][59]

Date of beginning of Christ's kingdom rule. Russell taught that Jesus had become king in April 1878.[60][61] In 1920, the Watch Tower Society altered the date to 1914.[62]

Date of resurrection of anointed Christians. After the failure of predictions that Christ's chosen "saints" would be carried away to heaven in 1878,[63] Russell developed the teaching that those "dying in the Lord" from 1878 forward would have an immediate heavenly resurrection.[64] The Watch Towerconfirmed the doctrine in 1925,[65] but two years later asserted this date was wrong[66] and that the beginning of the instant resurrection to heaven for faithful Christians was from 1918.[67]

Identity of "faithful and wise servant". Russell initially believed the "faithful and wise servant" of Matthew 24:45 was "every member of this body of Christ ... the whole body individually and collectively."[68] By 1886 he had altered his view and began explaining it was a person, not the Christian church.[69]Russell accepted claims by Bible Students that he was that "servant"[70][71][72]and in 1909 described as his "opponents" those who would apply the term "faithful and wise servant" to "all the members of the church of Christ" rather than to an individual.[73] By 1927 the Watch Tower Society was teaching that it was "a collective servant."[74]

Great Pyramid as a "stone witness" of God. Russell wrote in 1910 that God had the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt built as a testimony to the truth of the Bible and proof of its chronology identifying the "last days".[75][76] In 1928 The Watch Tower rejected the doctrine and claimed the Pyramid had been built under the direction of Satan.[77]

Beginning of the "last days". From the earliest issues of the Watch Tower, Russell promoted the belief that the "last days" had begun in 1799 and would end in 1914.[78] As late as 1927 and 1928 Watch Tower publications were still claiming the last days had begun in 1799.[79][80] Then in 1929, the beginningof the last days was changed to 1914.[81]

Date of Christ's invisible presence. From 1879 until 1929, the Watch Tower Society taught that Jesus 'presence' had begun in 1874,[82][83] stating in 1922 that the selection of 1874 was "indisputable".[56][84] In 1930 the Society moved the event to 1914.[85][86]

Jews' role in God's Kingdom. Russell followed the view of Nelson H. Barbour, who believed that in 1914 Christ's kingdom would take power over all the earth and the Jews, as a people, would be restored to God's favor.[87] In 1889 Russell wrote that with the completion of the "Gentile Times" in 1914, Israel's "blindness" would subside and they would convert to Christianity.[88] The book Life (1929) noted that the return of Jews to Palestine signaled that the end was very close, because Jews would "have the favors first and thereafter all others who obey the Lord" under God's restoration of his kingdom.[89] In 1932 that belief was abandoned and from that date the Watch Tower Society taught that Witnesses alone were the Israel of God.[90]

Identity of the "superior authorities". Russell taught that the "superior authorities" of Romans 13:1, to whom Christians had to show subjection and obedience, were governmental authorities. In 1929 The Watch Towerdiscarded this view, stating that the term referred only to God and Christ, and saying the change of doctrine was evidence of "advancing light" of truth shining forth to God's chosen people.[91] In 1952, The Watchtower stated that the words of Romans 13 "could never have applied to the political powers of Caesar’s world as wrongly claimed by the clergy of Christendom,"[92] and in 1960 The Watchtower described the earlier view as a factor that had caused the Bible Student movement to be "unclean" in God's eyes during the 1914–1918 period. Two years later, in 1962, The Watchtower reverted to Russell's initial doctrine.[91]

Identity and function of the Governing Body. Frequent mentions of the term "Governing Body" began in Watch Tower Society literature in the 1970s.[93]The Governing Body was initially identified as the Watch Tower Society's seven-member board of directors.[94] However, at the time, the board played no role in establishing Watchtower doctrines, and all such decisions since the Society's origins had been made by the Society's president.[95][96] A 1923 Watch Tower noted that Russell alone directed the policy and course of the Society "without regard to any other person on earth"[97] and both his successors, Rutherford and Knorr, also acted alone in establishing Watch Tower doctrines. An organizational change on January 1, 1976, for the first time gave the Governing Body the power to rule on doctrines[98] and become the ruling council of Jehovah's Witnesses.[99] Despite this, The Watchtower in 1971 claimed that a Governing Body of anointed Christians had existed since the 19th century to govern the affairs of God's anointed people.[100]

Treatment of disfellowshipped persons. In the 1950s when disfellowshipping became common, Witnesses were to have nothing to do with expelled members, not conversing with or acknowledging them.[101] Family members of expelled individuals were permitted occasional "contacts absolutely necessary in matters pertaining to family interests," but could not discuss spiritual matters with them.[102] In 1974 The Watchtower, acknowledging some unbalanced Witnesses had displayed unkind, inhumane and possibly cruel attitudes to those expelled,[103] relaxed restrictions on family contact, allowing families to choose for themselves the extent of association,[104]including whether or not to discuss some spiritual matters.[105] In 1981, a reversal of policy occurred, with Witnesses instructed to avoid all spiritual interaction with disfellowshipped ones, including with close relatives.[106]Witnesses were instructed not to greet disfellowshipped persons.[106][107][108]Parents were permitted to care for the physical needs of a disfellowshipped minor child; ill parents or physically or emotionally ill child could be accepted back into the home "for a time". Witnesses were instructed not to eat with disfellowshipped relatives and were warned that emotional influence could soften their resolve.[109] In 1980 the Witnesses' Brooklyn headquarters advised traveling overseers that a person need not be promoting "apostate views" to warrant disfellowshipping; it advised that "appropriate judicial action" be taken against a person who "continues to believe the apostate ideas and rejects what he has been provided" through The Watchtower.[110]The rules on shunning were extended in 1981 to include those who had resigned from the group voluntarily.[111][112]

Fall of "Babylon the Great". Russell taught that the fall of the "world empire of false religion" had taken place in 1878 and predicted "Babylon's" complete destruction in 1914.[113] The Society claimed in 1917 that religion's final destruction would take place in 1918, explaining that God would destroy churches "wholesale" and that "Christendom shall go down as a system to oblivion."[114] In 1988 the Watch Tower Society claimed that release from prison in 1919 of senior Watchtower figures marked the fall of Babylon "as far as having any captive hold on God's people was concerned",[115] with her "final destruction" "into oblivion, never to recover", expected "in the near future."[116]

United Nations Association[edit source]

Main article: Jehovah's Witnesses and the United Nations

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the United Nations is one of the 'superior authorities' that exist by God's permission, and that it serves a purpose in maintaining order, but do not support it politically and do not consider it to be the means to achieve peace and security. Jehovah's Witnesses also believe that the United Nations is the "image of the wild beast" of Revelation 13:1–18, and the second fulfilment of the "abominable thing that causes desolation" from Matthew 24:15; that it will be the means for the devastation of organized false religion worldwide;[117][118] and that, like all other political powers, it will be destroyed and replaced by God's heavenly kingdom.[119] Jehovah's Witnesses have denounced other religious organizations for having offered political support to the UN.[120]

On October 8, 2001, an article was published in the British Guardian newspaper questioning the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society's registration as a non-governmental organization (NGO) with the United Nations Department of Public Information and accusing the Watch Tower Society of hypocrisy.[121] Within days of the article's publication, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society submitted a formal request for disassociation, removing all association with the United Nations Department of Public Information,[122] and released a letter stating that the reason for becoming associated with the United Nations Department of Information (DPI) was to access their facilities, and that they had not been aware of the change in language contained in the criteria for NGO association.[123] However, when the Watch Tower Society sought NGO association, "the organization agreed to meet criteria for association, including support and respect of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations", acknowledging that the purpose of membership is to "promote knowledge of the principles and activities of the United Nations."[124]

Fall of Jerusalem[edit source]

Jehovah's Witnesses assert that Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in 607 BC and completely uninhabited for exactly seventy years. This date is critical to their selection of October 1914 for the arrival of Christ in kingly power—2520 years after October 607 BC.[125][126] Non-Witness sources do not support 607 BC for the event, placing the destruction of Jerusalem within a year of 587 BC, twenty years later.[126][127] Jehovah's Witnesses believe that periods of seventy years mentioned in the books of Jeremiah and Daniel refer to the Babylonian exile of Jews. They also believe that the gathering of Jews in Jerusalem, shortly after their return from Babylon, officially ended the exile in Jewish month of Tishrei (Ezra 3:1). According to the Watch Tower Society, October 607 BC is derived by counting back seventy years from Tishrei of 537 BC, based on their belief that Cyrus' decree to release the Jews during his first regnal year "may have been made in late 538 B.C. or before March 4–5, 537 B.C."[128][129] Secular sources assign the return to either 538 BC or 537 BC.[130][131][132][133][134]

In The Gentile Times Reconsidered: Chronology & Christ's Return, Carl O. Jonsson, a former Witness, presents eighteen lines of evidence to support the traditional view of neo-Babylonian chronology. He accuses the Watch Tower Society of deliberately misquoting sources in an effort to bolster their position.[135] The Watch Tower Society claims that biblical chronology is not always compatible with secular sources, and that the Bible is superior. It claims that secular historians make conclusions about 587 BC based on incorrect or inconsistent historical records, but accepts those sources that identify Cyrus' capture of Babylon in 539 BC, claiming it has no evidence of being inconsistent and hence can be used as a pivotal date.[128][136][137]

Rolf Furuli, a Jehovah's Witness and a lecturer in Semitic languages, presents a study of 607 BC in support of the Witnesses' conclusions in Assyrian, Babylonian, Egyptian, and Persian Chronology Compared with the Chronology of the Bible, Volume 1: Persian Chronology and the Length of the Babylonian Exile of the Jews.[138] Lester L. Grabbe, professor of Hebrew Bible and Early Judaism at the University of Hull, said of Furuli's study: "Once again we have an amateur who wants to rewrite scholarship. ... F. shows little evidence of having put his theories to the test with specialists in Mesopotamian astronomy and Persian history."[139]

The relative positions of the moon, stars and planets indicated in the Babylonian astronomical diary VAT 4956 are used by secular historians to establish 568 BC as the thirty-seventh year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign.[140] The Watch Tower Society claims that unnamed researchers have confirmed that the positions of the moon and stars on the tablet are instead consistent with astronomical calculations for 588 BC; the Society claims that the planetsmentioned in the tablet cannot be clearly identified.[141] The Watch Tower Society's article cites David Brown as stating, "some of the signs for the names of the planets and their positions are unclear,"[141] however Brown indicates that the Babylonians also had unique names for the known planets;[142] Jonsson confirms that the unique names are those used in VAT 4956.[143]

Evolution

The Watch Tower Society teaches a combination of gap creationism and day-age creationism.[144] It dismisses Young Earth creationism as "unscriptural and unbelievable",[145] and states that Jehovah's Witnesses "are not creationists" on the basis that they do not believe the earth was created in six literal days.[146][147]

Watch Tower Society publications attempt to refute the theory of evolution, in favor of divine creation.[148][149] The Watch Tower Society's views of evolution have met with criticism typical of objections to evolution. Gary Bottingdescribed his own difficulty as a Jehovah's Witness to reconcile creation with simple observations of species diversification, especially after discussions with J.B.S. Haldane in India.[150]

The Society's 1985 publication, Life—How Did it Get Here? By Evolution or by Creation? is criticized for its dependency on the book The Neck of the Giraffeauthored by Francis Hitching, which is quoted 5 times. The book presents Hitching—a TV writer and paranormalist with no scientific credentials—as an evolutionist.[151] Richard Dawkins also criticizes the book for implying that "chance" is the only alternative to deliberate design, stating, "[T]he candidate solutions to the riddle of improbability are not, as falsely implied, design and chance. They are design and natural selection."[152]

[gabriellakirtonblog]

The Ten Commandments of Personal Training

My fellow personal trainers, we’re in an amazing business. A business that allows us to help people, and each other, become amazing.

Yet each day brings temptations to be not-so-amazing. It’s easy to be led astray by opportunities to make money we’re not entitled to, to take advantage of our proximity to attractive people we shouldn’t pursue, to cut corners, to present others’ ideas as our own, or to provide substandard service for personal gain.

We’ve all heard stories, rumors, or rumblings about fitness pros who gave in to these temptations. Trust me, it’s nearly impossible for a personal trainer to recover from a destroyed reputation. The fitness industry has a long institutional memory.

We need a code. We need guidelines to keep our industry moving forward in positive ways, and to have successful careers with our ethics intact. And you know what? Maybe we need them to be set in stone.

So here they are: The Ten Commandments of Personal Training. Like the biblical commandments, it’s easy to get confused about the order, and different faith traditions have different ideas about the fine print.

But there’s no mistaking the big-picture message about personal and professional ethics.

1. Thou shalt have no other before your client

When you’re with your client, there is no one else. Don’t watch the TV in the background, don’t mess with your phone, don’t yak it up with your peers. Your client is paying you for a lot of reasons: to teach, motivate, hold them accountable, be an ally, and most important, guide them through their workouts.

Don’t worry about filling the air with “good job” and “you’ve got this” between rep counts. Be quiet and watch your client move. Apply specific cues like “knees out” or “chest up” when they need reminding. Your client can’t replicate the trainer-guided workout experience on their own. No matter what app they download, what service they subscribe to, or what research they do in their underwear, they’ll never replace your coaching.

But the best trainers do more than coach. They also know when to stop talking and listen. That’s when they learn what their clients really want.

READ ALSO: How to Make Sure You Aren’t One of the Bad Trainers Ruining Our Profession

2. Thou shalt not make any graven image

If you have to look up “graven image,” I’ll save you the time: an object of worship.

For trainers, it comes down to this: Don’t adhere to a one-size-fits-all approach when you have a diverse group of clients. You may think a certain modality is amazing and infallible, and you may even have evidence it works. But individual clients require individualized guidance.

And no matter how certain you are, there’s always more to learn. Education is one of the most exhilarating and exhausting things in human existence. It’s simultaneously exciting to learn and humbling to realize how much you still don’t know. An expert in one discipline is still a novice in countless others.

You have a responsibility to your clients, the industry, and yourself to keep learning and improving. Whether you study training methodologies, business and marketing, or the hidden history of Westeros, the more you learn, the greater capacity you have for future learning.

READ ALSO: How to Have a Long Career as a Personal Trainer

3. Thou shalt not take the names of your client in vain

Clients are an exciting and frustrating bunch. On one hand they’re the reason you get paid to do what you do. They’re also the reason you so frequently want to scream and rend your garments. Because, well, they’re people.

No matter how infuriating your clients may be in their worst moments, you can’t stop caring about them or their goals. Don’t let a client’s bad attitude or poor effort change your attitude or effort.

You’re paid to care, no matter how tough it gets.

READ ALSO: How to Tell a Client to Cut the Crap

4. Remember the seventh day and keep it as a day of rest

It doesn’t have to be Sunday, but you do need to take at least one day a week away from the gym, your clients, and maybe even your laptop.

It’s harder than it sounds. We train clients because we love training. The gym is our natural habitat. Some of us even fear that if we take a day off, we’ll lose our motivation. But the truth is the opposite: If we don’t temper our motivation now, we’ll pay for it later.

You’ve told clients about the importance of recovery. Make sure you take your own advice.

5. Honor thy elders

It’s safe to guess that few personal trainers get into it with the goal of training people two or three times their age. But if you’re good at what you do and pleasant to be around, you’ll inevitably attract older clients. After all, they have both the motivation to get fit and the means to pay for your services.

So far, so good. You like helping people reach their goals, and you love getting paid.

But there’s a steep learning curve when you’re training seniors for the first time. For one thing, it takes some work just to figure out what they really want from you. When a grandmother of three says she wants to “feel younger,” or a 62-year-old former marine wants to “get back at it,” what they most likely want is to …

Increase or maintain their mobility and physical freedom

Prevent creeping frailty

Prevent injury and potential falls

Prevent or manage chronic medical conditions

They may not share these specific goals with you, or even know how to articulate them. That’s why it’s up to you to figure it out. It takes empathy and respect. But most of all, it takes your full attention. You have to hear what they say and notice what they leave out. You have to observe how they move when they know you’re watching and when they think you aren’t.

READ ALSO: What Are the Rules for Training Older Clients?

6. Thou shalt not put your clients in danger

This should go without saying. But as God is my witness, I’ve seen trainers do things that could’ve caused serious injuries, and possibly death. Like the time a trainer had his client do a jumping barbell back squat from a Bosu ball to a box.

Keeping clients safe is the most basic duty of our profession—a duty that goes far beyond avoiding the organ-donor stunts that end up in YouTube fail videos. It means understanding when a progression might be dangerous, and when a regression is the path to progress. Your clients don’t need to deadlift from the floor, back squat with a barbell, or do Olympic lifts.

What they do need is training that’s appropriate for their current goals, skills, limitations, and fitness level. Train the client you have, not your vision of what that client could become.

When in doubt, think like a doctor: First, do no harm.

READ ALSO: Give Your Clients What They Want and What They Need

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery on the job

Sexually inappropriate behavior may be the original sin of the fitness industry. Personal trainers have made unwanted advances toward their peers and clients for as long as our profession has existed. And from time to time, our clients have made unwanted advances toward us.

We’re now in the long-overdue age of zero tolerance, with clear standards for what trainers can and can’t do, and what we should or shouldn’t tolerate from others.

But we shouldn’t stop with the rules in our employee handbooks. Take, for example, the time I saw a condom fall out of a trainer’s pocket while he was working with a client.

It doesn’t matter that the majority of clients might think it was funny, if they thought anything at all. There’s still a minority who’d be offended, or even threatened. Who needs to carry a condom in his pocket at work? It doesn’t take much imagination to see what that implies.

Even if it didn’t violate the letter of the law, it was still disrespectful to both the client and the trainer’s coworkers. And that’s unacceptable.

READ ALSO: A Fitness Pro’s Guide to Sexual Harassment

8. Thou shalt not steal

While sexual harassment is our original sin, theft comes in a close second. Too many trainers think it’s okay to sell “customized” workouts online while giving everyone the same program. Or take credit for other people’s work. Or double down by taking another trainer’s workouts and selling them as a custom program. (Seriously, I saw someone do this with Eric Cressey’s High Performance Handbook.)

And how many have no problem with marketing overpriced, ineffective products because the commissions are so high? Or shortchanging clients by starting late, finishing early, and sleepwalking through half-assed programs?

These things may not meet the biblical or statutory definition of theft. But if your business model is based on delivering less than you promised, you’re stealing.

READ ALSO: Stop Lying About Your Accomplishments

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness

Your peers are not your enemies. As Jonathan Goodman once wrote about this business, “If you think you’re competing, you’ve already lost.”

In the big picture of modern life, we’re like the Spartans at Thermopylae, fighting for health and wellness against overwhelming odds. If we don’t stand together, we’ll surely fail on our own.

Don’t undercut your peers. Refuse to talk behind their backs. Actively seek out opportunities to learn and grow from your fellow trainers. And don’t be afraid to challenge someone when they violate this commandment.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s success

Success leaves clues, as the saying goes. But it also leaves something else: envy. It’s far too easy to become motivated by jealousy and greed instead of the desire to become the best version of yourself.

Don’t do things because you want people to see you and applaud you. Do them because everyone in your orbit—from clients to peers to followers on Instagram—needs someone to help them achieve their goals.

That’s how you build your reputation and legacy. You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you see how far it takes you.

    Want to Get Better at Your Fitness Career? Here’s Exactly How to Do It

The steps you followed to become a fitness pro will help you master the other skills you need to succeed, but most aspiring or current trainers are left to figure it out for themselves. You don’t need to go it alone. Instead, buy a copy of Ignite to get the insider knowledge that you need, and your clients deserve.

Now in V2.0, Ignite the Fire is the most positively reviewed book for trainers on Amazon, with an astounding 680-plus 5-star reviews. You’ll learn how to:

Find, market to, and sell your ideal client while seamlessly dealing with objections (pg 64)

Deal with the 10 most common difficult client types (pg 160)

Develop multiple income streams while maintaining your reputation (pg 202)

And more!

Get your paperback copy at theptdc.com/ignite or, if you prefer, get it on audible or Kindle on Amazon.

 The post The Ten Commandments of Personal Training appeared first on The PTDC.

The Ten Commandments of Personal Training published first on https://onezeroonesarms.tumblr.com/

[fitono]

The Ten Commandments of Personal Training

My fellow personal trainers, we’re in an amazing business. A business that allows us to help people, and each other, become amazing.

Yet each day brings temptations to be not-so-amazing. It’s easy to be led astray by opportunities to make money we’re not entitled to, to take advantage of our proximity to attractive people we shouldn’t pursue, to cut corners, to present others’ ideas as our own, or to provide substandard service for personal gain.

We’ve all heard stories, rumors, or rumblings about fitness pros who gave in to these temptations. Trust me, it’s nearly impossible for a personal trainer to recover from a destroyed reputation. The fitness industry has a long institutional memory.

We need a code. We need guidelines to keep our industry moving forward in positive ways, and to have successful careers with our ethics intact. And you know what? Maybe we need them to be set in stone.

So here they are: The Ten Commandments of Personal Training. Like the biblical commandments, it’s easy to get confused about the order, and different faith traditions have different ideas about the fine print.

But there’s no mistaking the big-picture message about personal and professional ethics.

1. Thou shalt have no other before your client

When you’re with your client, there is no one else. Don’t watch the TV in the background, don’t mess with your phone, don’t yak it up with your peers. Your client is paying you for a lot of reasons: to teach, motivate, hold them accountable, be an ally, and most important, guide them through their workouts.

Don’t worry about filling the air with “good job” and “you’ve got this” between rep counts. Be quiet and watch your client move. Apply specific cues like “knees out” or “chest up” when they need reminding. Your client can’t replicate the trainer-guided workout experience on their own. No matter what app they download, what service they subscribe to, or what research they do in their underwear, they’ll never replace your coaching.

But the best trainers do more than coach. They also know when to stop talking and listen. That’s when they learn what their clients really want.

READ ALSO: How to Make Sure You Aren’t One of the Bad Trainers Ruining Our Profession

2. Thou shalt not make any graven image

If you have to look up “graven image,” I’ll save you the time: an object of worship.

For trainers, it comes down to this: Don’t adhere to a one-size-fits-all approach when you have a diverse group of clients. You may think a certain modality is amazing and infallible, and you may even have evidence it works. But individual clients require individualized guidance.

And no matter how certain you are, there’s always more to learn. Education is one of the most exhilarating and exhausting things in human existence. It’s simultaneously exciting to learn and humbling to realize how much you still don’t know. An expert in one discipline is still a novice in countless others.

You have a responsibility to your clients, the industry, and yourself to keep learning and improving. Whether you study training methodologies, business and marketing, or the hidden history of Westeros, the more you learn, the greater capacity you have for future learning.

READ ALSO: How to Have a Long Career as a Personal Trainer

3. Thou shalt not take the names of your client in vain

Clients are an exciting and frustrating bunch. On one hand they’re the reason you get paid to do what you do. They’re also the reason you so frequently want to scream and rend your garments. Because, well, they’re people.

No matter how infuriating your clients may be in their worst moments, you can’t stop caring about them or their goals. Don’t let a client’s bad attitude or poor effort change your attitude or effort.

You’re paid to care, no matter how tough it gets.

READ ALSO: How to Tell a Client to Cut the Crap

4. Remember the seventh day and keep it as a day of rest

It doesn’t have to be Sunday, but you do need to take at least one day a week away from the gym, your clients, and maybe even your laptop.

It’s harder than it sounds. We train clients because we love training. The gym is our natural habitat. Some of us even fear that if we take a day off, we’ll lose our motivation. But the truth is the opposite: If we don’t temper our motivation now, we’ll pay for it later.

You’ve told clients about the importance of recovery. Make sure you take your own advice.

5. Honor thy elders

It’s safe to guess that few personal trainers get into it with the goal of training people two or three times their age. But if you’re good at what you do and pleasant to be around, you’ll inevitably attract older clients. After all, they have both the motivation to get fit and the means to pay for your services.

So far, so good. You like helping people reach their goals, and you love getting paid.

But there’s a steep learning curve when you’re training seniors for the first time. For one thing, it takes some work just to figure out what they really want from you. When a grandmother of three says she wants to “feel younger,” or a 62-year-old former marine wants to “get back at it,” what they most likely want is to …

Increase or maintain their mobility and physical freedom

Prevent creeping frailty

Prevent injury and potential falls

Prevent or manage chronic medical conditions

They may not share these specific goals with you, or even know how to articulate them. That’s why it’s up to you to figure it out. It takes empathy and respect. But most of all, it takes your full attention. You have to hear what they say and notice what they leave out. You have to observe how they move when they know you’re watching and when they think you aren’t.

READ ALSO: What Are the Rules for Training Older Clients?

6. Thou shalt not put your clients in danger

This should go without saying. But as God is my witness, I’ve seen trainers do things that could’ve caused serious injuries, and possibly death. Like the time a trainer had his client do a jumping barbell back squat from a Bosu ball to a box.

Keeping clients safe is the most basic duty of our profession—a duty that goes far beyond avoiding the organ-donor stunts that end up in YouTube fail videos. It means understanding when a progression might be dangerous, and when a regression is the path to progress. Your clients don’t need to deadlift from the floor, back squat with a barbell, or do Olympic lifts.

What they do need is training that’s appropriate for their current goals, skills, limitations, and fitness level. Train the client you have, not your vision of what that client could become.

When in doubt, think like a doctor: First, do no harm.

READ ALSO: Give Your Clients What They Want and What They Need

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery on the job

Sexually inappropriate behavior may be the original sin of the fitness industry. Personal trainers have made unwanted advances toward their peers and clients for as long as our profession has existed. And from time to time, our clients have made unwanted advances toward us.

We’re now in the long-overdue age of zero tolerance, with clear standards for what trainers can and can’t do, and what we should or shouldn’t tolerate from others.

But we shouldn’t stop with the rules in our employee handbooks. Take, for example, the time I saw a condom fall out of a trainer’s pocket while he was working with a client.

It doesn’t matter that the majority of clients might think it was funny, if they thought anything at all. There’s still a minority who’d be offended, or even threatened. Who needs to carry a condom in his pocket at work? It doesn’t take much imagination to see what that implies.

Even if it didn’t violate the letter of the law, it was still disrespectful to both the client and the trainer’s coworkers. And that’s unacceptable.

READ ALSO: A Fitness Pro’s Guide to Sexual Harassment

8. Thou shalt not steal

While sexual harassment is our original sin, theft comes in a close second. Too many trainers think it’s okay to sell “customized” workouts online while giving everyone the same program. Or take credit for other people’s work. Or double down by taking another trainer’s workouts and selling them as a custom program. (Seriously, I saw someone do this with Eric Cressey’s High Performance Handbook.)

And how many have no problem with marketing overpriced, ineffective products because the commissions are so high? Or shortchanging clients by starting late, finishing early, and sleepwalking through half-assed programs?

These things may not meet the biblical or statutory definition of theft. But if your business model is based on delivering less than you promised, you’re stealing.

READ ALSO: Stop Lying About Your Accomplishments

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness

Your peers are not your enemies. As Jonathan Goodman once wrote about this business, “If you think you’re competing, you’ve already lost.”

In the big picture of modern life, we’re like the Spartans at Thermopylae, fighting for health and wellness against overwhelming odds. If we don’t stand together, we’ll surely fail on our own.

Don’t undercut your peers. Refuse to talk behind their backs. Actively seek out opportunities to learn and grow from your fellow trainers. And don’t be afraid to challenge someone when they violate this commandment.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s success

Success leaves clues, as the saying goes. But it also leaves something else: envy. It’s far too easy to become motivated by jealousy and greed instead of the desire to become the best version of yourself.

Don’t do things because you want people to see you and applaud you. Do them because everyone in your orbit—from clients to peers to followers on Instagram—needs someone to help them achieve their goals.

That’s how you build your reputation and legacy. You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you see how far it takes you.

    Want to Get Better at Your Fitness Career? Here’s Exactly How to Do It

The steps you followed to become a fitness pro will help you master the other skills you need to succeed, but most aspiring or current trainers are left to figure it out for themselves. You don’t need to go it alone. Instead, buy a copy of Ignite to get the insider knowledge that you need, and your clients deserve.

Now in V2.0, Ignite the Fire is the most positively reviewed book for trainers on Amazon, with an astounding 680-plus 5-star reviews. You’ll learn how to:

Find, market to, and sell your ideal client while seamlessly dealing with objections (pg 64)

Deal with the 10 most common difficult client types (pg 160)

Develop multiple income streams while maintaining your reputation (pg 202)

And more!

Get your paperback copy at theptdc.com/ignite or, if you prefer, get it on audible or Kindle on Amazon.

 The post The Ten Commandments of Personal Training appeared first on The PTDC.

The Ten Commandments of Personal Training published first on https://medium.com/@MyDietArea

[feveranime]

Inside Out: A roller-coaster of emotions

A standout amongst other things a film can do is influence you to cry. Throughout everyday life, we make a special effort to maintain a strategic distance from sadness, yet with regards to the motion pictures, two hours of repugnance, deplorability and mortal fear can exclude as a fun night.

Most reasoning on the issue gestures towards a similar conclusion: the feelings we consider as negative aren't negative by any stretch of the imagination, yet essential reactions to disagreeable conditions which, all by themselves, are just as sound and human as chuckling.

It's simply because film enables us to encounter them without justifiable reason that we can truly excite to their power, and feel them scouring ceaselessly at the structures of our spirits. Watch Stella Dallas, Bambi or The Notebook, and everything turns out to be clear. Joy and Sadness aren't alternate extremes, they're partners.

That idea may have never been expressed with quite as much elegance and human warmth as it is in Inside Out, the 15th film from Pixar and, I think, the animation studio’s finest to date. It takes place in two places at once: San Francisco, where 11-year-old Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) has recently moved with her parents from the rural Midwest, and inside Riley’s mind, where her five emotions – Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust – are trying to make sense of the upheaval.

It’s as bizarre, imaginative and authentically psychedelic as anything produced in mainstream animation. At this point in the fortunes of the once-infallible creative powerhouse, you wouldn’t have bet on Pixar coming up with anything very outré.

The story happens generally in the leader of a 11-year-old young lady named Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), who has quite recently moved with her folks (Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan) from Minnesota to San Francisco. The end result for Riley outwardly is truly standard: a supper table contention with Mom and Dad; a harsh day at school; a disillusioning hockey tryout. However, any individual who has been or known a kid Riley's age will comprehend that such everyday happenings can be the stuff of real inside dramatization.

Joy (a note-perfect Amy Poehler) is the gang’s leader. She looks like a star from a picture book, and shoots around the gleaming modernist dream-space of Riley’s HeadQuarters, doling out orders and pep-talks to her fellow emotions, whom she clearly considers her assistants. That’s because Joy has a particularly intimate bond with her human: since day one, Riley has always been her parents’ happy girl.

It’s actually a sophisticated bit of story construction, a nifty balancing act between Riley in the External World and her metamorphosis, and Joy (primarily) and the other emotions in the Internal World and their transformations, both individually and collectively.

What’s really powerful about this film is how accurate it is to cognitive, developmental, and clinical psychology. The 5 emotions used in this film are in fact 5 of the 6 scientifically validated universal emotions (the 6th one being surprise).

Formidably ingenious, Inside Out hits an elusive sweet spot in terms of appealing to children and adults alike. It makes extraordinary use of knowing cuteness, for example. Take Bing Bong, Riley’s long-lost imaginary friend from early childhood, a cat-elephant hybrid made out of candyfloss. Here, the film seems to stray perilously into Jar Jar Binks territory – but while smaller children will warm to Bing Bong as a cuddly oddity, adults and older kids will see something quite troubling in a figure that’s manifestly a primitive creation of the infant mind, poignantly fated to extinction.

It's in the way that the story portrays the blurring of youth's psychological furniture, and investigates the mechanics of overlooking, that Inside Out accomplishes a general centrality. While pros may weep over the effortlessness of the film's psychological model, propelled by the "psychoevolutionary" hypothesis of Robert Plutchik, the possible message – that distress is as profitable a feeling as satisfaction – is conveyed with less devotion than you may envision.

Concerning the visual style, it's amazing, ridiculing CGI's propensity to photorealism for unmistakable cartoonishness in a 1950s retro vein, together with a refined investigation of light: the feelings are made out of sinewy packs of iridescence. The running stiflers are delectable (don't miss the end credits), and in the best Pixar mold, Inside Out expertly however uncynically pulls the heartstrings – and in reality, the film's subject clearly demonstrates to you how it's finished. Try not to be hesitant to leave Inside Out wiping a tear from your eye: you can simply say: "It was the little individuals in my mind that did it."

The achievement of “Inside Out” is at once subtler and more impressive. This is a movie almost entirely populated by abstract concepts moving through theoretical space. This world is both radically new — you’ve never seen anything like it — and instantly recognizable, as familiar aspects of consciousness are given shape and voice. Remember your imaginary childhood friend? Your earliest phobias? Your strangest dreams? You will, and you will also have a newly inspired understanding of how and why you remember those things. You will look at the screen and know yourself.

The best children’s films often serve a dual purpose. They help kids to grow up but they also remind adults of what they have lost by doing so. Inside Outsucceeds brilliantly on both counts.

It takes a lot of work for voice actor to produce the voices for animated characters, that’s why directer Pete Docter asked them to wear costumes what their charcters wore to get into their characters feel. Here is a sneak peek behind the scenes of what went down when they had started recording:

Regarding the animation of Inside out they used 3D models mainly to create their characters. After which they created rough physical cameras and attached sensors to them. They projected those cameras into the virtual world and had human operators walk around a physical space, allowing all of the subtle details of a camera operator’s ‘performance’ to inform the scene.

Here is sneak peek into how Pixar developed the characters for ‘Inside Out’:

It is especially important to know about the story of Inside Out and how it came to be, so here is an interview of the Director Pete Docter: